Alteration of cadherin isoform expression and inhibition of gap junctions in stomach carcinoma cells

摘要： <正>To explore cell malignant phenotype correlated changes of cell surface adhesion molecules and cell-cell communication in carcinogenesis, human stomach transformed and cancer cell lines were investigated. Expressions of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, α-catenin, β-catenin as well as gap junction (GJ) protein Cx32 were studied by utilization of immunoblotting, immunocytochemical and fluorescent dye transfer methods. Mammalian normal stomach mucosal cells expressed E-cadherin but not N-cadherin. E-cadherin im-munofluorescence was detected at cell membranous adher-ens junctions (AJ) where colocalization with immunofluo-rescent staining of inner surface adhesion plaque proteins α-and β-catenins was observed. The existence of E-cadherin/ catenin (α-, β-) protein complexes as AJ was suggested. In transformed and stomach cancer cells E-cadherin was inhibited, instead, N-cadherin was expressed and localized at membranous AJ where co-staining with α- and β-catenin fluorescence was observed. Formation of N-cadherin ... （共6頁）