title: Collagen type I induces disruption of E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell contacts and promotes proliferation of pancreatic carcinoma cells.
abstract: Pancreatic cancer is characterized by its invasiveness, early metastasis, and the production of large amounts of extracellular matrix (ECM). We analyzed the influence of type I collagen and fibronectin on the regulation of cellular adhesion in pancreatic cancer cell lines to characterize the role of ECM proteins in the development of pancreatic cancer. We show that collagen type I is able to initiate a disruption of the E-cadherin adhesion complex in pancreatic carcinoma cells. This is due to the increased tyrosine phosphorylation of the complex protein beta-catenin, which correlates with collagen type I-dependent activation of the focal adhesion kinase and its association with the E-cadherin complex. The activation and recruitment of focal adhesion kinase to the E-cadherin complex depends on the interaction of type I collagen with beta1-containing integrins and an integrin-mediated activation of the cellular kinase Src. The disassembly of the E-cadherin adhesion complex correlates with the nuclear translocation of beta-catenin, which leads to an increasing expression of the beta-catenin-Lef/Tcf target genes, cyclin D1 and c-myc. In addition to that, cells grown on collagen type I show enhanced cell proliferation. We show that components of the ECM, produced by the tumor, contribute to invasiveness and metastasis by reducing E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion and enhance proliferation in pancreatic tumor cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I and Pathology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koenig
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Cornelia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hasel
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Adler
authors.forename: Andre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menke
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D048708:Cell Growth Processes / Q000502:physiology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism; D024042:Collagen Type I; D003470:Culture Media; D018450:Disease Progression; D004789:Enzyme Activation; D051417:Focal Adhesion Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000502:physiology*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D051820:TCF Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D024042:Collagen Type I; D003470:Culture Media; D051820:TCF Transcription Factors; D051176:beta Catenin; D051417:Focal Adhesion Kinase 1; C496050:PTK2 protein, human