title: Expression of e-cadherin and catenins in early gastric cancer.
abstract: E-cadherin and its associated cytoplasmic proteins including alpha-, beta-, and gamma-catenin play a pivotal role in the maintenance of normal tissue architecture and the suppression of cancer invasion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the expression of E-cadherin and alpha-, beta-, and gamma-catenin in a larger sample of early gastric cancer, and to examine the relation between these expressions and various clinicopathologic variables. The expression of E-cadherin and alpha-, beta-, and gamma-catenin was investigated using immunohistochemical technique with formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens obtained from 108 patients who underwent surgery for early gastric cancer. In the gastric mucosa of noncancerous areas, epithelial cells showed equally strong membranous expression of E-cadherin and alpha-, beta-, and gamma-catenin proteins at the cell-cell boundaries. Reduced expression of E-cadherin and alpha-, beta-, and gamma-catenin was demonstrated in 43.5%, 39.8%, 42.6%, and 50% of cancer tissues, respectively. Whereas 34 tumors (31.5%) displayed preserved expression of all four E-cadherin-catenin complex components, 21 tumors (19.4%) displayed reduced expression of all components of this complex. Reduced expression of E-cadherin and alpha- and gamma-catenin occurred more frequently in diffuse than in intestinal types of cancer, and decreased expression of E-cadherin and alpha-, beta-, and gamma-catenin correlated with poor differentiation. The expression of E-cadherin and beta- and gamma-catenin did not correlate with the patient's age, gender, tumor size, location, macroscopic type, depth of invasion, or lymph node metastasis. Only reduced expression of alpha-catenin correlated with lymph node metastasis. Reduced expression of all four E-cadherin-catenin complex components correlated with poorly differentiated and diffuse-type cancers, but not with the patient's age, gender, tumor size, location, macroscopic type, depth of invasion, or lymph node metastasis. These results suggest that dysfunction of the E-cadherin-catenin complex occurs in an early stage of carcinogenesis, playing a crucial role in disruption of tissue architecture and loss of differentiation in early gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Kwangju, Korea. mareejb@netian.com
authors.forename: Young-Eun
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Joo
authors.forename: Jong-Sun
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Rew
authors.forename: Sung-Kyu
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Hee-Seung
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Bom
authors.forename: Chang-Soo
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sei-Jong
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000378:metabolism*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D051180:Desmoplakins; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin; D051185:gamma Catenin
chemical_list: C495273:CTNNA1 protein, human; C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D051180:Desmoplakins; C495292:JUP protein, human; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051178:alpha Catenin; D051176:beta Catenin; D051185:gamma Catenin