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.
Mialhe
A
A
Research Laboratory on Bladder Tumors, Albert-Bonniot Institute, Joseph-Fourier University, La Tronche, France. agnes.mialhe@ujf-grenoble.fr
Louis
J
J
Montlevier
S
S
Peoch
M
M
Pasquier
D
D
Bosson
J L
JL
Rambeaud
J J
JJ
Seigneurin
D
D
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