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Roles of E‐ and P‐cadherin in the human skin
Author(s) -
Furukawa Fukumi,
Fujii Kimio,
Horiguchi Yuji,
Matsuyoshi Norihisa,
Fujita Mayumi,
Toda KenIchi,
Imamura Sadao,
Wakita Hisashi,
Shirahama Shigeho,
Takigawa Masahiro
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
microscopy research and technique
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1097-0029
pISSN - 1059-910X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0029(19970815)38:4<343::aid-jemt2>3.0.co;2-k
Subject(s) - cadherin , human skin , biology , genetics , cell
The Ca 2+ ‐dependent cell‐cell adhesion molecules, termed cadherins, are subdivided into several subclasses. E (epithelial)‐ and P (placental)‐cadherins are involved in the selective adhesion of epidermal cells. E‐cadherin is expressed on the cell surfaces of all epidermal layers and P‐cadherin is expressed only on the surfaces of basal cells. Ultrastructural studies have shown that E‐cadherin is distributed on the plasma membranes of keratinocytes with a condensation in the intercellular space of the desmosomes. During human skin development P‐cadherin expression is spatiotemporally controlled and closely related to the segregation of basal layers as well as to the arrangement of epidermal cells into eccrine ducts. In human skin diseases E‐cadherin expression is markedly reduced on the acantholytic cells of tissues in pemphigus and Darier's disease. Cell adhesion molecules are now considered to play a significant role in the cellular connections of cancer and metastatic cells. Reduced expression of E‐cadherin on invasive neoplastic cells has been demonstrated for cancers of the stomach, liver, breast, and several other organs. This reduced or unstable expression of E‐ and P‐cadherin is observed in squamous cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma, and Paget's disease, but cadherin expression is conserved in basal cell carcinoma. Keratinocytes cultured in high calcium produce much more intense immunofluorescence of intercellular E‐ and P‐cadherin than those cells grown in low calcium. E‐cadherins on the plasma membrane of the keratinocytes are shifted to desmosomes under physiological conditions, and therein may express an adhesion function in association with other desmosomal cadherins. Soluble E‐cadherins in sera are elevated in various skin diseases including bullous pemphigoid, pemphigus vulgaris, and psoriasis, but not in patients with burns. Markedly high levels in soluble E‐cadherin are demonstrated in patients with metastatic cancers. Microsc. Res. Tech. 38:343–352, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.