title: Expression of N-cadherin and alpha-catenin in astrocytomas and glioblastomas.
abstract: We examined levels of mRNA and protein for N-cadherin, the predominant cadherin in neural tissues, and mRNA levels for the cadherin-associated protein, alpha-catenin, in a series of gliomas and in glioblastoma cell lines. mRNA levels for N-cadherin and alpha-catenin were significantly higher in glioblastomas than in low-grade astrocytomas or normal brain, while the levels of intact N-cadherin protein were similar in glioblastomas, low-grade astrocytomas and brain. In addition, there was no consistent relationship between invasiveness and expression of N-cadherin and alpha-catenin in highly invasive vs minimally invasive tumours within the same histopathological grade. To assess further the relationship between cadherin expression and neural tumour invasion, we measured N-cadherin expression, calcium-dependent cell adhesion and motility of several glioblastoma cell lines. While all N-cadherin-expressing lines were adhesive, no correlation was seen between the level of N-cadherin expression and cell motility. Together, these findings imply that, in contrast to the role played by E-cadherin in carcinomas, N-cadherin does not restrict the invasion of glioblastomas.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine, Ohio 45267, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Shinoura
authors.forename: N E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Paradies
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Warnick
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Tew
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kanai
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hirohashi
mesh_terms: D001254:Astrocytoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D001483:Base Sequence; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D002449:Cell Aggregation / Q000502:physiology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015870:Gene Expression; D005909:Glioblastoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012016:Reference Values; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D051178:alpha Catenin
chemical_list: C495273:CTNNA1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D051178:alpha Catenin