Kozyraki R, Scoazec J Y, Flejou J F, D'Errico A, Bedossa P, Terris B, Fiorentino M, Bringuier A F, Grigioni W F, Feldmann G
Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire, Faculté de Médecine Xavier Bichat, Université Paris, France.
Gastroenterology. 1996 Apr;110(4):1137-49. doi: 10.1053/gast.1996.v110.pm8613003.
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Cadherins and their associated molecules, such as alpha-catenin, have been shown recently to play a pivotal role in epithelial carcinogenesis.
The expression of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, and alpha-catenin in 10 normal samples, 28 focal nodular hyperplasias, 9 liver cell adenomas, 65 hepatocellular carcinomas, and 9 cholangiocarcinomas was studied by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.
In the normal liver, hepatocytes expressed E-cadherin and a 129-kilodalton cadherin identified by the anti-N-cadherin antibody GC4. The expression level of alpha-catenin was low. Bile duct cells expressed only E-cadherin and showed high levels of alpha-catenin. The expression of cadherins and alpha-catenin was preserved in focal nodular hyperplasia. In liver cell adenomas, cadherins and alpha-catenin were heterogeneously expressed. In hepatocellular carcinomas, cadherin and alpha-catenin expression was frequently reduced or absent. Alterations in cadherin expression correlated with large tumor size, low grade of histological differentiation, and occurrence of capsular and vascular invasion. In cholangiocarcinomas, neoplastic cells inconstantly expressed E-cadherin and alpha-catenin.
Alterations of cadherin and alpha-catenin expression are frequent in liver cell adenomas and primary liver carcinomas. Their incidence in hepatocellular carcinomas is of prognostic significance.
钙黏蛋白及其相关分子，如α-连环蛋白，最近已被证明在上皮细胞癌变过程中起关键作用。
采用免疫组织化学和蛋白质印迹法研究了10例正常样本、28例局灶性结节性增生、9例肝细胞腺瘤、65例肝细胞癌和9例胆管癌中E-钙黏蛋白、N-钙黏蛋白和α-连环蛋白的表达情况。
在正常肝脏中，肝细胞表达E-钙黏蛋白和一种由抗N-钙黏蛋白抗体GC4识别的129千道尔顿的钙黏蛋白。α-连环蛋白的表达水平较低。胆管细胞仅表达E-钙黏蛋白，且α-连环蛋白水平较高。钙黏蛋白和α-连环蛋白的表达在局灶性结节性增生中得以保留。在肝细胞腺瘤中，钙黏蛋白和α-连环蛋白呈异质性表达。在肝细胞癌中，钙黏蛋白和α-连环蛋白的表达经常降低或缺失。钙黏蛋白表达的改变与肿瘤体积大、组织学分化程度低以及包膜和血管侵犯的发生相关。在胆管癌中，肿瘤细胞偶尔表达E-钙黏蛋白和α-连环蛋白。
钙黏蛋白和α-连环蛋白表达的改变在肝细胞腺瘤和原发性肝癌中很常见。它们在肝细胞癌中的发生率具有预后意义。
