Korean J Pathol.
2009 Oct;43(5):400-407. 10.4132/KoreanJPathol.2009.43.5.400.
The Loss of E-cadherin is Associated with the Epigenetic Alteration of CDH1 in Breast Cancer and it is also Associated with an Abnormal beta-catenin Expression in Lobular Carcinoma
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Pathology, Bundang CHA Medical Center, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seongnam, Korea. blacknw@hanmail.net
- 2Department of Pathology, Gangnam CHA Medical Center, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seoul, Korea.
- 3Department of Surgery, Gangnam CHA Medical Center, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seoul, Korea.
- 4Department of Internal Medicine, Gangnam CHA Medical Center, School of Medicine, CHA University, Seoul, Korea.
- KMID: 1472617
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.4132/KoreanJPathol.2009.43.5.400
Abstract
- BACKGROUND
APC and E-cadherin are the key molecules in the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway. We attempted to define the epigenetic alteration of APC and CDH1 (the E-cadherin gene) and the expression of Wnt-related molecules in human mammary carcinomas.
METHODS
Sixty-four mammary carcinomas, including 52 invasive ductal carcinomas (IDCs) and 12 invasive lobular carcinomas (ILCs), were evaluated using methylation-specific PCR and immunohistochemistry. We performed immunohistochemistry for E-cadherin, beta-catenin, APC, Wnt1, cyclin D1, ER, PR and C-erb B2.
RESULTS
Hypermethylation of APC and CDH1 was observed in 38 (59%) and 28 (44%) cases, respectively. CDH1 hypermethylation in ILCs was increased compared to that in IDCs (p=0.002) and it was associated with the loss of E-cadherin (p=0.02) and beta-catenin (p=0.042). APC methylation was positively correlated with the ER expression (p=0.021). Abnormal cytoplasmic localization of beta-catenin was found in 10 cases and any expression was not detected in six cases. In ILCs, the E-cadherin or beta-catenin expression was markedly decreased compared to that in IDCs (p<0.001 in both).
CONCLUSIONS
Methylation of APC or CDH1 was relatively frequent in mammary carcinomas. The loss of E-cadherin in mammary carcinoma was associated with CDH1 methylation, and abnormal beta-catenin expression was related to the loss of E-cadherin in ILC.
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