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Patterns of α‐ and β‐catenin and E‐cadherin expression in colorectal adenomas and carcinomas
Author(s) -
Van Der Wurff Anna A. M.,
Vermeulen Stefan J. T.,
Van Der Linden Edith P. M.,
Mareel Marc M.,
Bosman Fred T.,
Arends JanWillem
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
the journal of pathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.964
H-Index - 184
eISSN - 1096-9896
pISSN - 0022-3417
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1096-9896(199707)182:3<325::aid-path865>3.0.co;2-y
Subject(s) - cadherin , catenin , colorectal cancer , pathology , lymph node , biology , immunohistochemistry , in vivo , cancer research , cancer , cell , medicine , gene , wnt signaling pathway , genetics , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry
Previous in vitro and in vivo model studies have shown that when E‐cadherin expression in carcinoma cells is reduced, invasive behaviour ensues. The situation in human cancer in vivo , however, appears to be more complex, as immunohistochemically determined E‐cadherin expression in various carcinomas, including colorectal cancer, does not always correlate with invasive growth. Loss of cell adhesion during invasion in spite of E‐cadherin expression might be associated with a defective cadherin–catenin complex. The expression of α‐ and β‐catenin in comparison with E‐cadherin was therefore examined in colorectal adenomas and carcinomas and in lymph node and liver metastases. In normal colonic mucosa, α‐ and β‐catenin immunoreactivity occurred along the lateral plasma membranes of the epithelial cells, in a pattern identical to E‐cadherin staining. A similar pattern was found in colorectal adenomas and in most malignancies. In general, in neoplastic epithelia, the majority of the cancer cells displayed a normal (matching) pattern of E‐cadherin and catenin expression. It is concluded that the patterns of expression of E‐cadherin and α‐ and β‐catenin are very similar in colorectal neoplasms. This observation indicates that invasion in colorectal cancer is not paralleled by consistent loss of expression of the components of the cadherin–catenin complex. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.