title: E-cadherin suppresses cellular transformation by inhibiting beta-catenin signaling in an adhesion-independent manner.
abstract: E-cadherin is a tumor suppressor protein with a well-established role in cell-cell adhesion. Adhesion could contribute to tumor suppression either by physically joining cells or by facilitating other juxtacrine signaling events. Alternatively, E-cadherin tumor suppressor activity could result from binding and antagonizing the nuclear signaling function of beta-catenin, a known proto-oncogene. To distinguish between an adhesion- versus a beta-catenin signaling-dependent mechanism, chimeric cadherin constructs were expressed in the SW480 colorectal tumor cell line. Expression of wild-type E-cadherin significantly inhibits the growth of this cell line. Growth inhibitory activity is retained by all constructs that have the beta-catenin binding region of the cytoplasmic domain but not by E-cadherin constructs that exhibit adhesive activity, but lack the beta-catenin binding region. This growth suppression correlates with a reduction in beta-catenin/T cell factor (TCF) reporter gene activity. Importantly, direct inhibition of beta-catenin/TCF signaling inhibits the growth of SW480 cells, and the growth inhibitory activity of E-cadherin is rescued by constitutively activated forms of TCF. Thus, the growth suppressor activity of E-cadherin is adhesion independent and results from an inhibition of the beta-catenin/TCF signaling pathway, suggesting that loss of E-cadherin expression can contribute to upregulation of this pathway in human cancers. E-cadherin-mediated growth suppression was not accompanied by overall depletion of beta-catenin from the cytosol and nucleus. This appears to be due to the existence of a large pool of cytosolic beta-catenin in SW480 cells that is refractory to both cadherin binding and TCF binding. Thus, a small pool of beta-catenin that can bind TCF (i.e., the transcriptionally active pool) can be selectively depleted by E-cadherin expression. The existence of functionally distinct pools of cytosolic beta-catenin suggests that there are mechanisms to regulate beta-catenin signaling in addition to controlling its level of accumulation.
authors.affiliation: Cellular Biochemistry and Biophysics Program, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Gottardi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Gumbiner
mesh_terms: D001665:Binding Sites; D015820:Cadherins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000473:pathology*; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000235:genetics; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D051821:Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D017384:Sequence Deletion / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D051821:Lymphoid Enhancer-Binding Factor 1; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D051176:beta Catenin