Abstract: Objective: To investigate the expression of TGF- β 1, Snail, E- cadherin and N- cadherin in gastric cancer (GC) and to determine its relationship with malignant features. Methods: The expression of TGF- β 1, Snail, E- cadherin and N- cadherin proteins in GC and adjacent tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry, and the correlation with clinicopathological features was analyzed.Results: Positive rates of TGF- β 1, Snail, E- cadherin and N- cadherin were 63.5%, 83.3%, 37.5%, and 44.8%, respectively, in GC tissues and 28.8%, 41.3%, 100%, and 11.3%, respectively, in cancer- adjacent tissues, with a significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05). The expression rate of these four proteins was related to the differentiation, histological type, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis. The expression of N- cadherin was positively correlated with that of TGF- β 1 and negatively correlated with that of E- cadherin. E- cadherin expression was negatively correlated with TGF- β 1 and Snail expression. Conclusion: The increased expression of TGF- β 1 and Snail, the de-creased expression of E-cadherin, and the abnormal expression of N-cadherin are involved in the processes of invasion and metastasis of GC. These proteins may play an important role in the development of GC.