Expression of immunoreactive E-cadherin adhesion molecules in human cancers.
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.
Shiozaki
H
H
Department of Surgery II, Osaka University Medical School, Japan.
Tahara
H
H
Oka
H
H
Miyata
M
M
Kobayashi
K
K
Tamura
S
S
Iihara
K
K
Doki
Y
Y
Hirano
S
S
Takeichi
M
M
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
D015820:Cadherins