The E-cadherin repressor snail plays a role in tumor progression of endometrioid adenocarcinomas.
Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in the developed world. The cell-adhesion protein E-cadherin acts as a tumor-suppressor protein and is down-regulated by the transcription factor Snail, whose expression was shown to be associated with estrogen receptor signaling. This study aimed to investigate the expression of E-cadherin, Snail, and estrogen-receptor alpha in 87 primary tumors and 26 metastases of endometroid endometrial carcinomas. Reduced E-cadherin immunoreactivity was seen in 44.8% of the primary tumors and 65.4% of the metastases with a statistical correlation to higher tumor grade (P=0.003) only in metastatic lesions. About 28.7% of primary tumor specimens showed a positive Snail immunoreactivity that was correlated with reduced estrogen-receptor alpha expression (P=0.047). Positive Snail immunoreactivity was also seen in 53.8% of the metastases where it was correlated with higher tumor grade (P=0.003) and abnormal E-cadherin expression (P=0.003). Interestingly, a Snail expressing endometrial carcinoma-cell line showed a higher migration potential than a variant of this cell line with low levels of Snail. Taken together, our data are in line with a proposed role for Snail in endometrial tumor progression.
Institute of Pathology, Technical University of Munich, Trogerstrasse, Germany.
Kareen
K
Blechschmidt
Elisabeth
E
Kremmer
Regina
R
Hollweck
Ioannis
I
Mylonas
Heinz
H
Höfler
Marcus
M
Kremer
Karl-Friedrich
KF
Becker
D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D018269:Carcinoma, Endometrioid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D014945:Wound Healing
D015820:Cadherins; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; C486657:MTA3 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D000071250:Snail Family Transcription Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors