논문검색
Author Tae Yong Jo, M.D.1, Tae Yong Jeon, M.D.1, Kyu Hwang Chae, M.D.1, Dong Heon Kim, M.D.1, Moon Sup Sim, M.D.1, Do Youn Park, M.D.2 and Kang Seuk Suh, M.D.2
Place of duty Departments of 1Surgery and 2Pathology, College of Medicine, Pusan National University, Busan, Korea
Title Immunohistochemical Evaluation of E-cadherin/catenin (α-, β-, γ-catenin and p120CTN) Complex Expression in Early Gastric Cancer
Publicationinfo Cancer Research and Treatment 2003 Feb; 035(01): 16-24.
Key_word Stomach neoplasm, Cell adhesion, Cadherin, Catenin
Full-Text
Abstract Purpose: The significance of abnormal E-cadherin/ catenin complex expression and the correlation of each of its components in cancer remain unclear. This study aimed to characterize the clinical significance of the abnormal membrane expression of the E-cadherin/ catenin complex and the localization patterns of the β- catenin and p120CTN in early gastric cancer.

Materials and Methods: Immunohistochemical staining for E-cadherin, α-, β- and γ-catenin and p120CTN were performed on 47 early gastric cancer specimens. The patterns of membrange expression of the E-cadherin/ catenin complex, and the localization patterns of the β-catenin and p120CTN, were semi quantitatively graded as loss, reduced, preserved or negative and positive.

Results: An abnormal immunoreactivity of at least one of E-cadherin/catenin complex proteins was noted in 46 (97.8%) of the 47 early gastric cancer cases. There were no significant correlations of the membrane E-cadherin/ catenin expression with, either, sex, age, location, size, macroscopic type, depth of invasion or lymphovascular invasion. Abnormal expressions of membrane E-cadherin, β-catenin and γ-catenin were more frequent in the diffuse-type than in the intestinal type. No linear correlation was shown for the β-catenin between the membrane and cytoplasmic expressions. Nuclear staining of the β-catenin was observed in 5 (10.6%) cases, but nuclear staining of the p120CTN, a promotor of Kaiso transcriptional factor, was not seen.

Conclusion: These results suggest that alterations of the E-cadherin/catenin complex may be involved in the early stages of gastric cancer. Although β-catenin functions as a transcriptional factor, the inactivation of membrane E-cadherin does not appear to result in significant increases in the level of cytoplasmic β-catenin. Kaiso transcriptional factor may not be involved in the early carcinogenesis of gastric cancer.