Characteristics of smooth muscle cell lipoprotein binding proteins (p105/p130) as T-cadherin and regulation by positive and negative growth regulators

EGFR and IGF-1R in regulation of prostate cancer cell phenotype and polarity: opposing functions and modulation by T-cadherin

T-cadherin is an atypical glycosylphosphatidylinsoitol-anchored member of the cadherin superfamily of adhesion molecules. We found that T-cadherin overexpression in malignant (DU145) and benign (BPH-1) prostatic epithelial cell lines or silencing in the BPH-1 cell line, respectively, promoted or inhibited migration and spheroid invasion in collagen I gel and Matrigel. T-cadherin-dependent effects were associated with changes in cell phenotype: overexpression caused cell dissemination and loss of polarity evaluated by relative positioning of the Golgi/nuclei in cell groups, whereas silencing caused formation of compact polarized epithelial-like clusters. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and IGF factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) were identified as mediators of T-cadherin effects. These receptors per se had opposing influences on cell phenotype. EGFR activation with EGF or IGF-1R inhibition with NVP-AEW541 promoted dissemination, invasion, and polarity loss. Conversely, inhibition of EGFR with gefitinib or activation of IGF-1R with IGF-1 rescued epithelial morphology and decreased invasion. T-cadherin silencing enhanced both EGFR and IGF-1R phosphorylation, yet converted cells to the morphology typical for activated IGF-1R. T-cadherin effects were sensitive to modulation of EGFR or IGF-1R activity, suggesting direct involvement of both receptors. We conclude that T-cadherin regulates prostate cancer cell behavior by tuning the balance in EGFR/IGF-1R activity and enhancing the impact of IGF-1R.

Functional properties of rare missense variants of human CDH13 found in adult attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients

The CDH13 gene codes for T-cadherin, a GPI-anchored protein with cell adhesion properties that is highly expressed in the brain and cardiovascular system. Previous studies have suggested that CDH13 may be a promising candidate gene for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The aims of this study were to identify, functionally characterize, and estimate the frequency of coding CDH13 variants in adult ADHD patients and controls. We performed sequencing of the CDH13 gene in 169 Norwegian adult ADHD patients and 63 controls and genotyping of the identified variants in 641 patients and 668 controls. Native and green fluorescent protein tagged wild type and variant CDH13 proteins were expressed and studied in CHO and HEK293 cells, respectively. Sequencing identified seven rare missense CDH13 variants, one of which was novel. By genotyping, we found a cumulative frequency of these rare variants of 2.9% in controls and 3.2% in ADHD patients, implying that much larger samples are needed to obtain adequate power to study the genetic association between ADHD and rare CDH13 variants. Protein expression and localization studies in CHO cells and HEK293 cells showed that the wild type and mutant proteins were processed according to the canonical processing of GPI-anchored proteins. Although some of the mutations were predicted to severely affect protein secondary structure and stability, no significant differences were observed between the expression levels and distribution of the wild type and mutant proteins in either HEK293 or CHO cells. This is the first study where the frequency of coding CDH13 variants in patients and controls is reported and also where the functional properties of these variants are examined. Further investigations are needed to conclude whether CDH13 is involved in the pathogenesis of ADHD or other conditions.

T-cadherin expression in uterine leiomyoma

OBJECTIVE

T-cadherin is a tumor-suppressor with low expression in many malignant tumors, but with high expression in endothelial cells and so on. In this study we investigated whether T-cadherin was expressed and if together with bFGF play a role in the occurrence and development of uterine leiomyoma.

METHOD

Uterine leiomyoma, the adjacent normal myometrium, control normal myometrium without uterine leiomyoma and vascular features of myoma were collected. Immunohistochemistry, western blot and relative quantitative real time PCR were used to evaluate bFGF and T-cadherin on the three specimens. Data were statistically analysed.

RESULTS

T-cadherin was observed on the leiomyoma cellular layers but not in the endochylema, extracellular matrix and leiomyoma vascular endothelial cell, bFGF in the leiomyoma endochylema but not observed in the extracellular matrix and leiomyoma vascular endothelial cell. The protein and mRNA expression of bFGF and T-cadherin in uterine leiomyoma were significantly with higher expression than that in adjacent normal myometrium and control normal myometrium. In addition, T-cadherin correlated well with bFGF. There was relationship between T-cadherin and color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI).

CONCLUSION

bFGF and T-cadherin have high expressions in uterine leiomyoma, and T-cadherin is associated with CDFI, indicating that a cross talk between bFGF and T-cadherin plays an important role in the occurrence and development of uterine leiomyoma or even malignant tumors.

BRN2 is a transcriptional repressor of CDH13 (T-cadherin) in melanoma cells

T-cadherin (cadherin 13, H-cadherin, gene name CDH13) has been proposed to act as a tumor-suppressor gene as its expression is significantly diminished in several types of carcinomas, including melanomas. Allelic loss and promoter hypermethylation have been proposed as mechanisms for silencing of CDH13. However, they do not account for loss of T-cadherin expression in all carcinomas, and other genetic or epigenetic alterations can be presumed. The present study investigated transcriptional regulation of CDH13 in melanoma. Bioinformatical analysis pointed to the presence of known BRN2 (also known as POU3F2 and N-Oct-3)-binding motifs in the CDH13 promoter sequence. We found an inverse correlation between BRN2 and T-cadherin protein and transcript expression. Reporter gene analysis and electrophoretic mobility shift assays in melanoma cells demonstrated that CDH13 is a direct target of BRN2 and that BRN2 is a functional transcriptional repressor of CDH13 promoter activity. The regulatory binding element of BRN2 was located -219 bp of the CDH13 promoter proximal to the start codon and was identified as 5'-CATGCAAAA-3'. Ectopic expression of BRN2 in BRN2-negative/T-cadherin-positive melanoma cells resulted in suppression of CDH13 promoter activity, whereas BRN2 knockdown in BRN2-positive/T-cadherin-negative melanoma cells resulted in re-expression of T-cadherin transcripts and protein. Transcriptional repression of CDH13 by BRN2 may participate in malignant transformation of melanoma by increasing invasion and migration potentials of melanoma cells. The study has identified CDH13 as a novel direct BRN2 transcriptional target gene and has advanced knowledge of mechanisms underlying loss of T-cadherin expression in melanoma.

Cadherin 13 in cancer

We review the evidence suggesting the involvement of Cadherin 13 (CDH13, T-cadherin, H-cadherin) in various cancers. CDH13 is an atypical member of the cadherin family, devoid of a transmembrane domain and anchored to the exterior surface of the plasma membrane via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor. CDH13 is thought to affect cellular behavior largely through its signaling properties. It is often down-regulated in cancerous cells. CDH13 down-regulation has been associated with poorer prognosis in various carcinomas, such as lung, ovarian, cervical and prostate cancer. CDH13 re-expression in most cancer cell lines inhibits cell proliferation and invasiveness, increases susceptibility to apoptosis, and reduces tumor growth in in vivo models. These properties suggest that CDH13 may represent a possible target for therapy in some cancers. At the same time, CDH13 is up-regulated in blood vessels growing through tumors and promotes tumor neovascularization. In contrast to most cancer cell lines, CDH13 overexpression in endothelial cells promotes their proliferation and migration, and has a pro-survival effect. We also discuss molecular mechanisms that may regulate CDH13 expression and underlie its roles in cancer.

Extracellular cadherin repeat domains EC1 and EC5 of T-cadherin are essential for its ability to stimulate angiogenic behavior of endothelial cells

T-cadherin (T-cad) promotes survival, proliferation, and migration of endothelial cells and induces angiogenesis. We aimed to identify domains of T-cad functionally relevant to its effects on endothelial cell behavior. To specifically target the functional properties of the 5 cadherin repeat domains (EC1-EC5) of T-cad, endothelial cells were transduced with lentivectors containing specific T-cad-domain-deletion mutant constructs (DeltaI, DeltaII, DeltaIII, DeltaIV, DeltaV). Empty (E) lentivector-transduced cells served as control. Similarly to overexpression of native T-cad, cells expressing DeltaII, DeltaIII, or DeltaIV displayed elevated levels of p-Akt and p-GSK3beta and increased proliferation rates (for DeltaII, DeltaIII) vs. E. DeltaI- and DeltaV-transduced cells exhibited reduced levels of p-Akt and p-GSK3beta and retarded growth rates vs. E. Stimulatory effects of native T-cad overexpression on Akt and GSK3beta phosphorylation were dose dependently inhibited by coexpression of DeltaI or DeltaV. Subsequent functional analyses compared only DeltaI-, DeltaII-, and DeltaV-mutant constructs with E as a negative control. Unlike DeltaII cells, DeltaI and DeltaV cells failed to exhibit homophilic ligation and deadhesion responses on a substratum of T-cad protein. In the wound assay, migration was increased for DeltaII cells but impaired for DeltaI and DeltaV cells. In endothelial cell-spheroid assay, angiogenic sprouting was augmented for DeltaII cells but inhibited for DeltaI and DeltaV cells. We conclude that EC1 and EC5 domains of T-cad are essential for its proangiogenic effects. DeltaI and DeltaV constructs may serve as dominant-negative mutants and as potential tools targeting excessive angiogenesis.

Expression of T-cadherin in tumor cells influences invasive potential of human hepatocellular carcinoma

Overexpression of T-cadherin (T-cad) transcripts occurs in approximately 50% of human hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs). To elucidate T-cad functions in HCC, we examined T-cad protein expression in normal and tumoral human livers and hepatoma cell lines and investigated its influence on invasive potential of HCC using RNA interference silencing of T-cad expression in Mahlavu cells. Whereas T-cad expression was restricted to endothelial cells (EC) from large blood vessels in normal livers, it was up-regulated in sinusoidal EC from 8/15 invasive HCCs. Importantly, in three of them (38%) T-cad was detected in tumor cells within regions in which E-cadherin expression was absent. Among six hepatoma cell lines, only Mahlavu expressed T-cad but not E-cadherin. T-cad exhibited a globally punctuate distribution in quiescent Mahlavu and additionally it concentrated at the leading edge of migrating cells. Matrigel invasion assay revealed that Mahlavu possess a high invasive potential that was significantly inhibited by T-cad silencing. Wound healing and random motility assays demonstrated that inhibition of T-cad expression in Mahlavu significantly reduced their motility. We propose that T-cad expression in tumor cells might occur by cadherin-switching during epithelial-mesenchymal transition and may represent an additional mechanism contributing to HCC metastasis.

Regulation of T-cadherin by hormones, glucocorticoid and EGF

The cell adhesion molecule T-cadherin is an unusual member of the cadherin superfamily that lacks a cytoplasmic domain, binding instead to the cell membrane via a glycophosphatidyl inositol anchor. T-cadherin is a receptor for hexameric Acrp30/adiponectin and binds low-density lipoproteins in endothelial cells. T-cadherin is expressed widely in the brain and cardiovascular system, but expression is absent or decreased in several cancers. Little is known about the mechanisms and factors that control T-cadherin expression. Therefore, to investigate regulation of T-cadherin expression, we analysed 3.9 kb of the 5'-flanking region of human T-cadherin for promoter activity and identified potential transcription factor binding sites. Western blotting and a quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay developed for T-cadherin showed that estradiol, progesterone, EGF, dexamethasone and factors in serum were involved in transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of T-cadherin in human osteosarcoma cells; the effects observed were opposite to those described for T-cadherin's ligand, adiponectin. The data suggest that T-cadherin is regulated in a complex manner indicative of a role in hormone and drug-induced changes in bone morphology and pathology.

T-cadherin mediates low-density lipoprotein-initiated cell proliferation via the Ca(2+)-tyrosine kinase-Erk1/2 pathway

The GPI-anchored protein T-cadherin was found to be an atypical LDL binding site that is expressed in various types of cells, including endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and neurons. Notably, the expression of T-cadherin was reduced in numerous types of cancers, although it was up-regulated in tumor-penetrating blood vessels, atherosclerotic lesions, and during neointima formation. Despite these intriguing findings, our knowledge of the physiological role and the signal transduction pathways associated with this protein is limited. Therefore, T-cadherin was overexpressed in the human umbilical vein-derived endothelial cell line EA.hy926, the human embryonic kidney cell line HEK293, and LDL-initiated signal transduction, and its consequences were elucidated. Our data revealed that T-cadherin serves as a receptor specifically for LDL. Following LDL binding to T-cadherin, mitogenic signal transduction was initiated that involved activation of PLC and IP3 formation, which subsequently yielded intracellular Ca2+ mobilization. Downstream to these early phenomena, activation of tyrosine kinase(s) Erk 1/2 kinase, and the translocation of NF kappa B toward the nucleus were found. Finally, overexpression of T-cadherin in HEK293 cells resulted in accelerated cell proliferation in an LDL-dependent manner, although cell viability was not influenced. Because LDL uptake was not facilitated by T-cadherin, our data suggest that T-cadherin serves as a signaling receptor for LDL that facilitates an LDL-dependent mitogenic signal in the vasculature.

FGF-1 and FGF-2 regulate the expression of E-cadherin and catenins in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

E-cadherin is a transmembrane protein that mediates Ca2+-dependent cell-cell adhesion and is implicated in a number of biologic processes, including cell growth and differentiation, cell recognition and cell sorting during development. We have previously demonstrated that both cell-cell adhesion and invasion are modulated by fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-1 and FGF-2 in a panel of pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell lines (BxPc3, T3M4 and HPAF). Here, we examine further the role of FGFs in the expression and activation of the E-cadherin/catenin system. We demonstrate that both FGF-1 and FGF-2 upregulate E-cadherin and beta-catenin at the protein level in the BxPc3 and HPAF cell lines and modestly in T3M4 cells. FGF-1 and FGF-2 facilitate the association of E-cadherin and alpha-catenin with the cytoskeleton, as demonstrated by the increase in the detergent-insoluble fraction of E-cadherin in BxPc3 and HPAF cells. Since the correct function of the E-cadherin/catenin complex requires its association with the cytoskeleton, our data suggest that FGF-1 and FGF-2 contribute to the integrity and thus the function of the complex. Furthermore, FGFs facilitate the assembly of the E-cadherin/catenin axis. The effect is associated with elevation of tyrosine phosphorylation of E-cadherin, alpha-catenin, beta-4051 mu-catenin and gamma-catenin, but not p120ctn. These findings indicate that the E-cadherin/catenin system is a target of the FGF/FGFR system and that coordinated signals from both systems may determine the ultimate biologic responses.

Cadherins and catenins, Wnts and SOXs: embryonic patterning in Xenopus

Wnt signaling plays a critical role in a wide range of developmental and oncogenic processes. Altered gene regulation by the canonical Wnt signaling pathway involves the cytoplasmic stabilization of beta-catenin, a protein critical to the assembly of cadherin-based cell-cell adherence junctions. In addition to binding to cadherins, beta-catenin also interacts with transcription factors of the TCF-subfamily of HMG box proteins and regulates their activity. The Xenopus embryo has proven to be a particularly powerful experimental system in which to study the role of Wnt signaling components in development and differentiation. We review this literature, focusing on the role of Wnt signaling and interacting components in establishing patterns within the early embryo.

The glycosyl phosphatidylinositol anchor of human T-cadherin binds lipoproteins

T-cadherin (T-cad) is a Ca(2+)-dependent cell adhesion glycoprotein bound to the plasma membrane via a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor. T-cad expressed on vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) binds lipoproteins on blot. To analyze the molecular basis for the interaction of T-cad with lipoproteins we expressed recombinant human T-cad in HEK293 cells. Whereas membrane-bound T-cad from SMC and T-cad transfected HEK293 cells bind lipoproteins, T-cadherin proteins cleaved from the cell surface by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) do not. The lipoprotein-binding function is also lacking both for a recombinant human T-cad expressed in HEK293 cells without the GPI signal sequence, and for a human T-cad form expressed in Escherichia coli that contains the signal sequence for GPI attachment but is not modified with a GPI. We conclude that the GPI moiety of T-cadherin is necessary and sufficient to mediate lipoprotein binding.

Developmental expression and distribution of N- and E-cadherin in the rat ovary

The calcium-dependent cell adhesion molecules, cadherins, regulate intercellular junction formation, cell sorting, and the establishment of cell polarity. Their important role in tissue remodeling suggests an involvement in ovarian cellular rearrangements throughout postnatal development. The ovary has a complex topology, and the ovarian follicle undergoes significant cellular rearrangements during its development. Cadherins have been detected previously in whole ovaries and in ovarian cells and cell lines with some immunolocalization in fetal and adult ovaries. This study examines the expression and localization of N- and E-cadherin throughout prepubertal ovarian and follicular development in the rat. We analyzed ovarian cadherin expression in rats from Day 19-20 of gestation to 25 days postpartum, during which follicle formation and folliculogenesis are the dominant ovarian events. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction detected N- and E-cadherin mRNA expression in the ovaries at all the ages examined. Semiquantification of Western blots of whole ovary extracts confirmed the presence of ovarian N- and E-cadherin protein at all ages with both showing peak expression at 7 days of age. Immunostaining revealed N- and E-cadherin expression in follicular and extrafollicular cell types, but only E-cadherin showed follicle-stage-dependent expression. The changes in cadherin expression, concurrent with ovarian growth and folliculogenesis, suggest a function for cadherins in the morphological and functional development of the prepubertal rat ovary.

LDL binds to surface-expressed human T-cadherin in transfected HEK293 cells and influences homophilic adhesive interactions

T-cadherin (T-cad) is an unusual glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored member of the cadherin family of cell adhesion molecules. Binding of low density lipoproteins (LDLs) to T-cad can be demonstrated on Western blots of smooth muscle cell lysates, membranes and purified proteins. Using HEK293 cells transfected with human T-cad cDNA (T-cad+), we have investigated the adhesion properties of expressed mature and precursor proteins and examined the postulate that LDL represents a physiologically relevant ligand for T-cad. T-cad+ exhibits an increased Ca(2+)-dependent aggregation (vs. control) that was reduced by selective proteolytic cleavage of precursor T-cad and abolished after either proteolytic or phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) cleavage of both mature and precursor proteins, indicating that both proteins function in intercellular adhesion. T-cad+ exhibited a significantly increased specific cell surface-binding of [(125)I]-LDL that was sensitive to PI-PLC pre-treatment of cells. Ca(2+)-dependent intercellular adhesion of T-cad+ was significantly inhibited by LDL. Our results support the suggestion that LDL is a physiologically relevant ligand for T-cad.

Identification of 130 kDa cell surface LDL-binding protein from smooth muscle cells as a partially processed T-cadherin precursor

Atypical cell surface lipoprotein-binding proteins of 105 kDa and 130 kDa are present in membranes of vascular smooth muscle cells. We recently identified the 105 kDa protein from human aortic media as T-cadherin, an unusual glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored member of the cadherin family of cell adhesion proteins. The goal of the present study was to determine the identity of 130 kDa lipoprotein-binding protein of smooth muscle cells. We applied different approaches that included protein sequencing of purified protein from human aortic media, the use of human T-cadherin peptide-specific antisera, and enzymatic treatment of cultured cells with trypsin and GPI-specific phospholipase C. Our results indicate that the 130 kDa protein is a partially processed form of T-cadherin which is attached to the membrane surface of smooth muscle cells via a GPI anchor and contains uncleaved N-terminal propeptide sequence. Our data disclose that, in contrast to classical cadherins, T-cadherin is expressed on the cell surface in both its precursor (130 kDa) and mature (105 kDa) forms.