Is E-cadherin/catenin axis important in grade III ductal carcinomas?

Excerpt

Cadherins are glycoproteins, mainly expressed in epithelial cells, that mediate cell-cell adhesion and interact with the interior of the cell via intracellular proteins called catenins. Through interaction with a-actin, a-catenin influences cell motility. ?- and ?-catenins compete with each other for cadherin-binding sites, and the genes encoding them have been proposed as an oncogene and a tumour suppressor gene respectively. Not much is known regarding E-cadherin and catenin expression in breast cancer. Although some studies have linked reduced E-cadherin expression with poor outcome, others have revealed no independent prognostic value. Recent research has found that retained membrane E-cadherin expression was surprisingly associated with shorter survival in a study employing grade I ductal tumours (see Additional information). This study investigated E-cadherin and a-, ?- and ?-catenin protein levels in a cohort of 470 patients diagnosed with grade III ductal carcinomas. …