engleski

E-cadherin and beta-catenin expression pattern in malignant melanoma assessed by image analysis

We investigated the expression of E-cadherin and β -catenin in melanoma. Both proteins are components of adherens junctions but also play signalling roles in the wnt signal transduction pathway. Seventy malignant melanomas were analysed by immunohistochemistry and evaluated by image analysis as staining density, i.e. light permeability (LP). Comparison of mean values of relative LP for E-cadherin and β -catenin in tumor tissue shows that levels of E-cadherin protein are significantly lower (259.67– 116.23 ; t = 22.7 ; p = 0.000). The comparison of mean values of the relative LP of E-cadherin in melanoma to the LP in the adjacent normal skin also shows that the expression of E-cadherin in tumor is significantly lower (256.06– 169.87 ; t = 11.55, p = 0.000). β -catenin was observed in the cytoplasm in 30.6% of patients, in 24.2% in the cell membrane, in 21% in both the cytoplasm and membrane, in 1.6% in the membrane and nucleus and in 4.8% in the cytoplasm and nucleus, whereas in 17.7% of patients β -catenin could not be observed. Patients with Clark 4 and 5 had significantly less β -catenin than patients with Clark 2 and 3 (χ 2 = 12.854 ; p = 0.005). Changes in E-cadherin and β -catenin levels have important roles in melanoma and could be used as molecular markers of disease progression.

malignant melanoma; cancer; localization; progression; mutations; lessons; domain

Rad je kao poster prezentiran na skupu 30th FEBS Congress and 9th IUBMB Conference The Protein World, održanom od 02.-07.07.2005., Budimpešta, Mađarska.