Defective E-cadherin/catenin complexes in human cancer

Cancer is caused by a series of genomic changes leading directly or indirectly to disturbance of growth, differentiation and tissue integrity. Genomic, transcriptional or posttranscriptional alterations of E-cadherin/catenin complexes that are implicated in various steps of cancer development compri...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology 2001-12, Vol.439 (6), p.725-751
Main Authors: VAN AKEN, E, DE WEVER, O, CORREIA DA ROCHA, A. S, MAREEL, M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adenoma
alpha Catenin
Animals
beta Catenin
Biological and medical sciences
Cadherins - genetics
Cadherins - metabolism
Cancer
Catenin
Cell adhesion
Cytoskeletal Proteins - genetics
Cytoskeletal Proteins - metabolism
Cytoskeleton
E-cadherin
Embryogenesis
Embryonic growth stage
Eye
Genomics
Host-tumor relations. Immunology. Biological markers
Humans
Inactivation
Medical sciences
N-Cadherin
Neoplasms - genetics
Neoplasms - metabolism
Post-transcription
Proteolysis
Thyroid
Trans-Activators
Tumors
β-Catenin
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Summary:Cancer is caused by a series of genomic changes leading directly or indirectly to disturbance of growth, differentiation and tissue integrity. Genomic, transcriptional or posttranscriptional alterations of E-cadherin/catenin complexes that are implicated in various steps of cancer development comprise mutational inactivation, transcriptional downregulation of E-cadherin sometimes accompanied by upregulation of N-cadherin, proteolysis of E-cadherin and posttranslational stabilisation of beta-catenin and plakoglobin. The E-cadherin/catenin complex serves not only cell-cell adhesion but also transduces signals to the nucleus and to the cytoskeleton, either directly or through its connections with multiple other complexes. We review here the expression of E-cadherin/catenin in human cancers, emphasising methods of observation and prognostic interpretation of results. This is illustrated in thyroid lesions from the benign follicular adenoma to the extremely malignant anaplastic carcinoma. The eye is an organ largely neglected by students of cadherins and catenins. The implication of a variety of members of these molecular families in the embryonic development of the eye strongly suggests that disturbances of cadherin/catenin complexes are crucial also in the development of ocular tumours.
ISSN:0945-6317
1432-2307
DOI:10.1007/s004280100516