title: E-cadherin and alpha-catenin expression in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic endometrium.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine whether modulation of expression of cell adhesion molecules may occur in neoplastic transformation of endometrial epithelium.
  
  
  METHODS
  E-Cadherin and α-catenin protein expression were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in 124 biopsies representative of normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic endometrium.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In normal endometrium (proliferative, secretive and atrophic endometrium) strong homogeneous, E-cadherin and α-catenin reactivity was found; 58.3% and 66.6% of biopsies representative of simple hyperplastic endometrium were homogeneously positive for E-cadherin and α-catenin, respectively, whereas no samples representative of atypical hyperplasia showed evidence of homogeneous E-cadherin or α-catenin expression. No expression of homogeneous E-cadherin was seen in endometrial adenocarcinomas; α-catenin homogeneous immunostaining was observed in 2 G1 and 2 G2 out of 22 adenocarcinoma samples (18.2%). A homogeneous co-expression of both molecules was seen only in normal (70%) and simple hyperplastic (46%) endometrium.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that E-cadherin and α-catenin down-regulation might be associated with neoplastic transformation of endometrial tissues.
authors.affiliation: UOD Citopatologia II Faculty of Medicine, University La Sapienza, AO Sant'Andrea, 00189 Rome, Italy. elisabetta.carico@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Elisabetta
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Carico
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Atlante
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giarnieri
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raffa
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bucci
authors.forename: Maria Rosaria
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Giovagnoli
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vecchione
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism; D015820:Cadherins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D004714:Endometrial Hyperplasia / Q000378:metabolism*; D016889:Endometrial Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D004717:Endometrium / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D011379:Prognosis; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D051178:alpha Catenin / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D051178:alpha Catenin