title: Co-expression of tenascin-C and vimentin in human breast cancer cells indicates phenotypic transdifferentiation during tumour progression: correlation with histopathological parameters, hormone receptors, and oncoproteins.
abstract: Loss of epithelial morphology and the acquisition of mesenchymal characteristics are typical for carcinoma cells in tumour progression. In human breast carcinomas, up-regulation of tenascin-C (TN-C) and vimentin (Vim) is frequently observed in cancer cells and correlates with increased malignancy. Thus, it is possible that TN-C is co-expressed with Vim, representing cancer cells that have undergone epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). This study examined 128 breast carcinomas using immunohistochemical techniques to demonstrate that mammary cancer cells are a prominent source of both TN-C and Vim. Statistical analysis revealed a significant association between TN-C and Vim expression in cancer cells. TN-C expression also correlated positively with overexpression of c-erbB-2 oncoprotein and down-regulation of oestrogen receptors (ERs). Eleven human mammary cancer cell lines and two 'normal' cell lines were examined by western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Co-expression of TN-C and Vim was detected in the carcinosarcoma cell line HS 578T, SK-BR-3 (B), fibroblast-like MDA-MB-231 cells, and the myoepithelial cell line HBL 100. These findings suggest that TN-C and Vim, when co-expressed in mammary carcinoma cells, represent regulator genes likely to be involved in EMT during mammary carcinogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathological Anatomy, Landeskliniken Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dandachi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hauser-Kronberger
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moré
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wiesener
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Hacker
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dietze
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wirl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018270:Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D018275:Carcinoma, Lobular / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018739:Oncogene Proteins v-erbB / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D019063:Tenascin / Q000378:metabolism*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014746:Vimentin / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018739:Oncogene Proteins v-erbB; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D019063:Tenascin; D014746:Vimentin