Korean J Dermatol.
2001 Jan;39(1):50-57.
Immunohistochemical Expression of E-Cadherin and Ur-Catenin in Fetal Skin
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Dermatology, Korea Veterans Hospital.
- 2Department of Pathology, Chung-Ang University, College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
-
BACKGROUND: E-cadherin is the prime mediator of cell-cell adhesion in epithelial cells and the beta-catenin is the associated protein with E-cadherin in the formation of adhesion complexes in normal and tumor cells related with tumor spread. The present study aimed to find the distribution of E-cadherin and beta-catenin in fetal skin during development.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to observe the distribution of above two adhesion related proteins in the fetal skin during development, to find its relationship by expression and their distribution patterns.
METHODS
Skin was obtained from the scalp, chest, and sole of 21 human fetuses, ranging from 13 to 37 weeks of gestational age. Immunohistochemical staining was performed by avidin biotin peroxidase complex method on paraffin embedded tissue using anti-human monoclonal antibody against the human E-cadherin and beta-catenin.
RESULTS
E-cadherin and beta-catenin were expressed in cell membrane of intermediate cell layer of epidermis at 13th week followed by increased basal cell expression at 15th week and adult pattern in 24th week of gestation. Both showed similar distribution pattern in skin. Difference was that E-cadherin was expressed only in cell membrane, but beta-catenin was expressed in both cell membrane and cytoplasm, stronger in cell membrane. beta-catenin also expressed in mesenchymal tissue. In the skin adnexae, E-cadherin and beta-catenin were also expressed very similar distribution pattern both in hair follicular development and eccrine duct epithelium.
CONCLUSION
Both E-caherin and beta-catenin showed the same expression in the fetal stage and distribution pattern suggesting that both adhesion molecules are highly related each other in function and development of epidermis and adnexae of the skin in fetal stage, though their expression are not noted in all epithelial cells.
- Full Text Links
-
- Actions
-
Cited
- CITED
-
- Close
- Share
-
- Similar articles
-
- Expression of E-cadherin and a-catenin in Thyroid Carcinomas
- The Role of E-cadherin/Beta-catenin Complex and Cyclin D1 in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
- Expression of E-cadherin and beta-catenin in Human Adenocarcinoma, Adenoma, and Ulcer of Stomach
- E-cadherin and beta-catenin Expression and Mutation in Gastric Carcinomas
- Prognostic significance of E-cadherin/catenin complex expression in gastric cancer
