title: Immunohistochemical observation of co-expression of E- and N-cadherins in rat organogenesis.
abstract: Cadherins are a family of transmembrane glycoproteins that mediate cell-to-cell adhesion. Isoforms, including E- and N-cadherin, have been identified and shown to regulate morphogenesis through homophilic binding. In the ontogeny, the expressions of E- and N-cadherin change spatiotemporally, and the changes in cadherin isoforms, called cadherin switching, impact the mechanical adhesion of cells. Furthermore, cadherin functions as a receptor that transfers information from outside to inside cells, and in terms of switching, it affects cell phenotypes. To observe the expression patterns of E- and N-cadherins during embryogenesis and to identify cells that transiently coexpress both cadherins, we employed a recently developed immunohistochemical double staining technique in rat fetuses. At embryonic day 9, embryonic ectodermal cells more dominantly expressed E-cadherin, while mesodermal cells more dominantly expressed N-cadherin. At embryonic day 10, the expression pattern of E-cadherin in the surface ectoderm and endoderm and that of N-cadherin in the neuroectoderm were established. After embryonic day 10, unique co-expression of E- and N-cadherin was observed in primordia, such as the bulbus cordis, otic pit, notochord, and Rathke's pouch. In the present study, it was possible to visualize the expression patterns of E- and N-cadherin during early fetal development, which enabled us to morphologically clarify cadherin switching.
authors.affiliation: Division of Forensic Medicine, Center for Community Medicine, Jichi Medical University School of Medicine, Tochigi, Japan. atsushis@jichi.ac.jp
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Kazumoto
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Murata
authors.forename: Hideto
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Megumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yatabe
authors.forename: Motoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kikuchi