Unmethylated E-cadherin gene expression is significantly associated with metastatic human prostate cancer cells in bone.
BACKGROUND
The concurrent determination of methylation status of E-cadherin gene and E-cadherin protein expression remains scant in metastatic prostate cancer cells in bone, the most prevalent site for metastatic growth. Therefore, the study was undertaken to ascertain the methylation status of E-cadherin gene, a most frequent and known epigenetic mechanism of its regulation, and the protein expression in prostate tissue biopsy specimen.


METHODS
The methylation of E-cadherin gene was determined by methylation specific-PCR and the protein expression by immunohistochemical method in the consecutive sections of each prostate tissue biopsy specimen.


RESULTS
The unmethylated E-cadherin gene and homogeneous E-cadherin protein expression was significantly associated with BPH as compared to the primary prostate carcinoma (Fisher's Exact P < 0.001). A significant association was observed between the concurrent methylated gene and markedly reduced expression of the protein in the primary prostate cancer cells as compared to the BPH cells, suggesting methylation-dependent regulation of the gene expression in these cases. In contrast to the primary cancer, a highly significant increase in the frequency of metastatic prostate cancer cells in bone exhibited the concurrent expression of unmethylated gene and homogeneous protein (Fisher's Exact P < 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The study clearly demonstrated a significant association of the concurrent expression of unmethylated E-cadherin gene and E-cadherin protein with metastatic prostate cancer cells in bone, and that its expression may have a role in the intercellular adhesion in the formation of metastatic lesions in bone.
Saha
Baisakhi
B
Molecular Pathology Program, Huntington Medical Research Institutes, Pasadena, California 91101, USA.
Kaur
Pavinder
P
Tsao-Wei
Denice
D
Naritoku
Wesley Y
WY
Groshen
Susan
S
Datar
Ram H
RH
Jones
Lawrence W
LW
Imam
S Ashraf
SA
D001706:Biopsy; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008745:Methylation; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000378:metabolism; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D014018:Tissue Distribution
D015820:Cadherins