title: Cadherin-mediated adhesion is required for normal growth regulation of human gingival epithelial cells.
abstract: The cadherins are a family of cell membrane proteins that mediate calcium-dependent cell-cell adhesion. E-cadherin is required for the formation, differentiation, polarization and stratification of epithelia; P-cadherin is also expressed on many epithelia. We report here the first study of cadherin expression in immortalized human gingival epithelial cells (IHGK) and examine the role of cadherins in growth regulation of these cells. We found that the IHGK cells are similar to normal gingival epithelial cells in their cadherin expression and density-dependent inhibition of growth. The IHGK cells proliferate more rapidly at low calcium concentration (0.15 mM) than at physiological concentrations of calcium (1.8 mM) and magnesium (0.65 mM; Ca/Mg medium) suggesting that calcium is required for density-dependent regulation of proliferation. To evaluate the possibility that cadherin function is required for contact inhibition in these cells, we grew them in Ca/Mg medium in the presence of adhesion-blocking anti-cadherin monoclonal antibodies. At anti-E-cadherin concentrations sufficient to disrupt cell-cell adhesion, the proliferation of the IHGK cells was similar to that observed in medium containing 0.2 mM EDTA. Anti-P-cadherin had a much weaker effect on cell proliferation than anti-E-cadherin, and cells grown in medium containing both antibodies grew at intermediate rates. The increased proliferation of the IHGK cells in either low calcium medium or Ca/Mg medium containing adhesion-blocking anti-cadherin antibodies suggests that cadherin-mediated adhesion is required for density-dependent regulation of growth of these cells.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kandikonda
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oda
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Niederman
authors.forename: B C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Sorkin
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology; D015820:Cadherins / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002455:Cell Division; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002472:Cell Transformation, Viral; D003260:Contact Inhibition / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D004847:Epithelial Cells; D005881:Gingiva / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D008274:Magnesium / Q000494:pharmacology; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D050725:Papillomavirus E7 Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D015820:Cadherins; C068651:E6 protein, Human papillomavirus type 16; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral; D050725:Papillomavirus E7 Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C059731:oncogene protein E7, Human papillomavirus type 16; D004492:Edetic Acid; D008274:Magnesium; D002118:Calcium