Department of Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2012 Jan;27(1):173-80. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2011.06847.x.
N-cadherin (N-cad), one of the classic cadherins, has been reported to be involved in tumor metastasis in some types of tumors. This study aims to investigate the expression status of N-cad in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and the correlation between N-cad expression and metastatic potential, as well as the surgical outcomes of HCC.
N-cad expression in HCC and adjacent liver tissues, as well as normal liver tissues, was studied by immunohistochemistry and Western blot, and the relationship between N-cad expression and the clinicopathological features of HCC was evaluated. By using RNA interference technique, the correlation of N-cad expression and metastatic potential was investigated by downregulating N-cad expression in HCCLM3 cells, and the effects of N-cad downregulation on cell aggregation, migration, and invasion were then analyzed. Furthermore, the correlation between N-cad expression and the surgical outcomes of a cohort of HCC patients was analyzed.
In liver tissues, N-cad was strongly expressed on cell-cell boundaries, whereas various reduced-expression patterns were observed in tumors. Of 64 HCC, 34 (53%) tumors showed reduced N-cad expression, compared with their adjacent liver tissues. The decreased expression of N-cad was significantly correlated with poorer tumor differentiation (P = 0.001) and vascular invasion (P = 0.003). N-cad knockdown in HCCLM3 cells resulted in decreased cell aggregation and increased cell migration and invasion. The decreased expression of N-cad in HCC was significantly associated with shorter postoperative disease-free survival (P = 0.039).
N-cad expression is decreased in HCC, and the downregulation of N-cad is associated with the metastatic potential of HCC and poorer surgical prognosis.
N-钙黏蛋白（N-cad）是经典钙黏蛋白家族中的一员，已有研究报道其在某些类型的肿瘤中与肿瘤转移有关。本研究旨在探讨 N-cad 在肝细胞癌（HCC）中的表达状态及其与转移潜能的相关性，以及与 HCC 手术预后的关系。
采用免疫组织化学和 Western blot 检测 HCC 及其相邻肝组织、正常肝组织中 N-cad 的表达，并评估 N-cad 表达与 HCC 临床病理特征的关系。采用 RNA 干扰技术下调 HCCLM3 细胞中 N-cad 的表达，探讨 N-cad 表达与转移潜能的相关性，并分析 N-cad 下调对细胞聚集、迁移和侵袭的影响。进一步分析 N-cad 表达与一组 HCC 患者手术预后的关系。
在肝组织中，N-cad 在细胞-细胞边界处强表达，而在肿瘤中观察到各种低表达模式。在 64 例 HCC 中，有 34 例（53%）肿瘤的 N-cad 表达降低，与相邻肝组织相比。N-cad 表达降低与肿瘤分化较差（P = 0.001）和血管侵犯（P = 0.003）显著相关。下调 HCCLM3 细胞中的 N-cad 表达导致细胞聚集减少，而迁移和侵袭增加。N-cad 在 HCC 中的低表达与术后无病生存时间较短显著相关（P = 0.039）。
N-cad 在 HCC 中表达降低，下调 N-cad 与 HCC 的转移潜能和较差的手术预后相关。
