Relationship between expressions of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin and biological behaviors of human pancreatic cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the expressions of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin in pancreatic carcinoma and their relationship with biological behaviors, and clarify the mechanism of invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer.


METHODS
The expressions of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin was examined in 47 patients with infiltrative ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas and 12 specimens of normal pancreatic tissues by immunohistochemical technique (PicTure( trade mark ) two-step method). Proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) was tested as an index of the proliferation degree of pancreatic cancer cells.


RESULTS
The immunoreactivity of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin was expressed by normal ductal and acinar cells with strong membranous staining at the intercellular border in 12 specimens of normal pancreatic tissues. The abnormal rate of E-cadherin expression in pancreatic cancer was 53.2% (25/47), and it was significantly related to differentiation, high proliferation degree and lymph node and liver metastases (P<0.01, 0.05, 0.05 and 0.01, respectively). 61.7% patients with pancreatic cancer (29/47) showed abnormal expression of alpha-catenin. There was a good correlation among alpha-catenin expression, histological grade, and lymph node and liver metastases (P<0.05,0.05 and 0.01, respectively). No significant association was found among abnormal expressions of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin, tumor size, invasion, and 1-year survival rate of patients (P>0.05, all). There was a positive relationship between the expressions of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin in the 47 patients with pancreatic cancer (P<0.01, r=0.88).


CONCLUSIONS
Pancreatic cancer likely occurs in case of the inactivation of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin genes and abnormal expression of proteins, which significantly correlate with tumorigenesis, proliferation, differentiation, and lymph node or liver metastasis of pancreatic cancer.
Department of Pathology, Affiliated Hospital of Medical College, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266003, China. yujun-li66@yahoo.com
Yu-Jun
YJ
Li
Yun-Xiao
YX
Meng
Xiang-Rui
XR
Ji
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D021441:Carcinoma, Pancreatic Ductal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000556:secondary; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D051178:alpha Catenin
C495273:CTNNA1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D051178:alpha Catenin