title: Cadherin-11 is highly expressed in rhabdomyosarcomas and during differentiation of myoblasts in vitro.
abstract: Rhabdomyosarcomas bear a morphological and genetic resemblance to developing skeletal muscle. Apart from myogenic marker genes (bHLH factors, myosin, actin), cell adhesion molecules such as N-cadherin and N-CAM have been reported to be expressed both in rhabdomyosarcomas and during myogenesis. The present study demonstrates the expression of another cadherin, cadherin-11, in rhabdomyosarcomas and during differentiation of myoblasts in vitro: cadherin-11, a predominantly mesenchymal cell adhesion molecule, is highly expressed in embryonal rhabdomyosarcomas and alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas, which do not bear the Pax-3-FKHR fusion previously described. Cadherin-11 is down-regulated in normal skeletal muscle and after myotube formation in vitro. The results of this study suggest that cadherin-11 might be involved in myogenesis and that rhabdomyosarcomas may re-express or fail to down-regulate cadherin-11. Since alveolar rhabdomyosarcomas bearing the t(2;13) translocation do not express cadherin-11, it is postulated that Pax-3 and cadherin-11 might be linked and involved in the same myogenic pathway.
authors.affiliation: GSF-Forschungszentrum für Umwelt und Gesundheit, Institut für Pathologie, Neuherberg, Germany.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Markus
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reichmuth
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Reich
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hoffmann
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Balling
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Anderer
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Höfler
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D012208:Rhabdomyosarcoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; C086960:osteoblast cadherin