Effects of hepatocyte growth factor on E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion in DU145 prostate cancer cells.
OBJECTIVE
To examine how hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) affects cell-cell adhesion junctions on scattering in prostate cancer cells. HGF is known to induce scattering (dispersion of clustered cells into single cells) in various epithelial cells, including prostate cancer cells, but the mechanisms surrounding this action are not fully understood. Cell-cell adhesion junctions are composed of E-cadherin and its associated intracellular catenins and play important roles in the maintenance of cell integrity.


METHODS
The human prostate cancer cell line DU145 was used in this study. The associations and changes of various adhesion molecules with HGF treatment were investigated by inhibition assays, Western blot analysis, and immunofluorescence staining.


RESULTS
In the inhibition assay, anti-E-cadherin neutralizing monoclonal antibody caused the dissociation of DU145 cells similar to the scattering with HGF treatment. The expression of E-cadherin decreased with HGF, and the expression of alpha-catenin and beta-catenin did not change by Western blot analysis. In immunofluorescence staining, HGF caused the translocation of E-cadherin from cell-cell adhesion junctions to the cytoplasm.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that HGF induces scattering by decreasing the expression of E-cadherin and causes its translocation to the cytoplasm of DU145 cells.
Miura
H
H
Department of Specific Organ Regulation (Urology), Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
Nishimura
K
K
Tsujimura
A
A
Matsumiya
K
K
Matsumoto
K
K
Nakamura
T
T
Okuyama
A
A
D015820:Cadherins / Q000502:physiology*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000187:drug effects*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin
C495273:CTNNA1 protein, human; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor