title: Expression of immunoreactive E-cadherin adhesion molecules in human cancers.
abstract: E-cadherin (E-CD), a Ca(2+)-dependent adhesion molecule, plays a major role in the maintenance of intercellular junctions in normal epithelial cells in most organs. The expression of E-CD in human carcinoma samples (esophagus, stomach, and breast) was investigated using immunohistochemical staining, which was performed on surgical specimens using a monoclonal antibody for human E-CD. E-cadherin was strongly expressed in all normal epithelium examined. However E-CD expression in primary tumors of esophagus (11 of 15: 73%), stomach (5 of 20: 25%), and breast (9 of 20: 45%) was reduced, and 68% of these (esophagus: 8 of 11, stomach: 4 of 5, breast: 5 of 9) displayed heterogeneous E-CD expression. In some tumor cells with reduced E-CD expression, E-CD molecules were located in the cell cytoplasm. These results indicate that there are human cancer cells in which E-CD-related intercellular adhesion is impaired.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery II, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shiozaki
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tahara
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Iihara
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Doki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takeichi
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism; D001940:Breast / Q000378:metabolism; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000378:metabolism; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D004947:Esophagus / Q000378:metabolism; D005753:Gastric Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012016:Reference Values; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins