Expression of E-cadherin and alpha-,beta- and gamma-catenins in human bladder carcinomas: are they good prognostic factors?
E-cadherin, the epithelium-specific cadherin, is known to play a major role in tumor progression in many human carcinomas, via intercellular homophilic Ca2+-dependent adhesion. This adhesion is mediated by a group of cytoplasmic proteins, including the alpha-, beta- and gamma-catenins that link the E-cadherin to the actin cytoskeleton. Recent studies have shown that loss or reduction of either E-cadherin or catenin expression was strictly related to clinicopathological data in bladder tumors, and E-cadherin might constitute prognostic factors in bladder carcinogenesis. Here we continued a preliminary work on E-cadherin in bladder cancer. In an effort to evaluate their possible prognostic value, we investigated both E-cadherin and catenins in 99 bladder tumors by immunohistochemistry. E-cadherin and all the catenins were strongly expressed in normal urothelium. Regarding histopathological data, the tumors examined showed that the disrupted expression of each molecule, except for gamma-catenin, was directly related to increasing tumor grade (mainly for alpha- and beta-catenin) and deep invasion (p < or = 0.01). The aberrant expression of E-cadherin and beta-catenin was also correlated to the presence of distant metastasis (p < 0.05). However, only abnormal expression of a-catenin was associated with poor survival (p = 0.037). Therefore our results suggest that alpha-catenin is directly involved in tumor invasion and dedifferentiation and is the only protein of any prognostic value, albeit low in patients with bladder cancer.
Research Laboratory on Bladder Tumors, Albert-Bonniot Institute, Joseph-Fourier University, La Tronche, France. agnes.mialhe@ujf-grenoble.fr
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A
Mialhe
J
J
Louis
S
S
Montlevier
M
M
Peoch
D
D
Pasquier
J L
JL
Bosson
J J
JJ
Rambeaud
D
D
Seigneurin
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051180:Desmoplakins; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015534:Trans-Activators; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000378:metabolism; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019459:Urothelium / Q000378:metabolism; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin; D051185:gamma Catenin
C495273:CTNNA1 protein, human; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D051180:Desmoplakins; C495292:JUP protein, human; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin; D051185:gamma Catenin