title: Expression of beta-catenin, E-cadherin and cyclin D1 in adenoid cystic carcinoma of the salivary gland.
abstract: We evaluated the expression of beta-catenin, E-cadherin, and cyclin-D1 in 23 cases of adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the salivary gland. We detected beta-catenin on the cell membranes in all ACCs, but its distribution was irregular, as compared to that on normal structures. In three out of the 23 cases, beta-catenin was detected in the nuclei, as well as on cell membranes. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing revealed a missense mutation in one case in which beta-catenin had been detected in the nuclei of tumor cells. We also detected E-cadherin on cell membranes with a similar irregular distribution to that of beta-catenin. In 11 cases (almost 48%) of ACC, cyclin D1 was localized in cell nuclei but there was no correlation with the nuclear staining of the beta-catenin. Our results suggest that disturbances in the distribution of beta-catenin and E-cadherin might affect the morphology ofACC and that a small fraction of cases of ACC are characterized by a mutation in the beta-catenin gene, which is associated with the nuclear accumulation of the product of this gene but does not affect the transcription of the gene for cyclin-D1.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Pathology, Oita Medical University, Oita, Japan. daatom@med.oita-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Daa
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kaku
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kashima
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakayama
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism*; D003528:Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D019938:Cyclin D1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D012468:Salivary Gland Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051176:beta Catenin
chemical_list: C495270:CTNNB1 protein, human; D015820:Cadherins; D003598:Cytoskeletal Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D051176:beta Catenin; D019938:Cyclin D1