Cadherin intercellular adhesion molecule in hepatocellular carcinomas: loss of E-cadherin expression in an undifferentiated carcinoma.
Expression of E- and P-cadherin in 24 primary hepatocellular carcinomas, together with the non-cancerous liver tissue from each case, was examined by immunohistochemical staining. Cells of 23 grade I-III carcinomas as well as hepatocytes in all the non-cancerous livers expressed E-cadherin at the cell-cell boundary and showed tight intercellular adhesion without exception. However, a highly undifferentiated carcinoma classified as grade IV apparently lacked E-cadherin expression and also showed decreased intercellular adhesiveness. Loss of E-cadherin expression may be one of the characteristics of highly undifferentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. In contrast to E-cadherin, P-cadherin was never detected in either the cancer cells or non-cancerous hepatocytes in all cases.
Shimoyama
Y
Y
Pathology Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan.
Hirohashi
S
S
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006498:Hepatectomy; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008099:Liver / Q000737:chemistry; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015820:Cadherins