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Abstract
This short insight covers some of the recent topics relevant to the field of cadherin-catenin adhesion in mediating connections between different cell types, so-called heterotypic or heterocellular connections, in both homeostasis and cancer. These scientific discoveries are increasing our understanding of how multiple cells residing in complex tissues can be instructed by cadherin adhesion receptors to regulate tissue architecture and function and how these cadherin-mediated heterocellular connections spur tumor growth and the acquisition of malignant characteristics in tumor cells. Overall, the findings that have emerged over the past few years are elucidating the complexity of the functional roles of the cadherin-catenin complexes. Future exciting research lies ahead in order to understand the physical basis of these heterotypic interactions and their influence on the behavior of heterogeneous cellular populations as well as their roles in mediating phenotypic and genetic changes as cells evolve through complex environments during morphogenesis and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Fontenete
- Epithelial Cell Biology Group, Cancer Cell Biology Programme, Spanish Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Daniel Peña-Jimenez
- Epithelial Cell Biology Group, Cancer Cell Biology Programme, Spanish Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
| | - Mirna Perez-Moreno
- Epithelial Cell Biology Group, Cancer Cell Biology Programme, Spanish Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Madrid, Spain
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Brandner JM, Zorn-Kruppa M, Yoshida T, Moll I, Beck LA, De Benedetto A. Epidermal tight junctions in health and disease. Tissue Barriers 2015; 3:e974451. [PMID: 25838981 DOI: 10.4161/21688370.2014.974451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2014] [Accepted: 10/04/2014] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The skin, the largest organ of the body, is an essential barrier that under homeostatic conditions efficiently protects and/or minimizes damage from both environmental (e.g. microorganisms, physical trauma, ultraviolet radiation) and endogenous (e.g., cancers, inflammation) factors. This formidable barrier function resides mainly in the epidermis, a dynamic, highly-stratified epithelium. The epidermis has 2 major barrier structures: stratum corneum, the outmost layer and tight junctions, intercellular junctions that seal adjacent keratinocytes in the stratum granulosum, found below the stratum corneum. In recent years there have been significant advances in our understanding of tight junction function, composition and regulation. Herein we review what is known about tight junctions in healthy skin and keratinocyte culture systems and highlight the dynamic crosstalk observed between tight junctions and the cutaneous immune system. Finally we discuss the preliminary observations suggesting that tight junction function or protein expression may be relevant for the pathogenesis of a number of common cutaneous inflammatory and neoplastic conditions.
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Key Words
- AD, atopic dermatitis
- AMP, antimicrobial peptides
- Cldn, claudin
- DC, dendritic cells
- FLG, filaggrin
- JAM, junctional adhesion molecule
- LC, Langerhans cells
- MM, malignant melanoma
- PRR, pattern recognition receptor
- PS, psoriasis
- SCC, squamous cell carcinoma; SC, stratum corneum
- SG, stratum granulosum
- SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism
- TER, TransEpithelial Electrical Resistance
- TJ, tight junction
- TLR, Toll-like receptor
- Th, T helper
- ZO-1, zonula occludens 1
- claudins
- skin barrier
- skin immune system
- skin innate barrier
- tight junction
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Affiliation(s)
- J M Brandner
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology; University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf ; Hamburg, Germany
| | - M Zorn-Kruppa
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology; University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf ; Hamburg, Germany
| | - T Yoshida
- Department of Dermatology; University of Rochester Medical Center ; Rochester, NY USA
| | - I Moll
- Department of Dermatology and Venereology; University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf ; Hamburg, Germany
| | - L A Beck
- Department of Dermatology; University of Rochester Medical Center ; Rochester, NY USA
| | - A De Benedetto
- Department of Dermatology; University of Rochester Medical Center ; Rochester, NY USA
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Song GQ, Zhao Y. Kisspeptin-10 inhibits the migration of breast cancer cells by regulating epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Oncol Rep 2014; 33:669-74. [PMID: 25420482 DOI: 10.3892/or.2014.3619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2014] [Accepted: 10/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related death in women. Kisspeptin-10 (KP-10) is a shorter fragment of KISS1. In the present study, we demonstrated the antitumor effects of KP-10 on human breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-157, both in vitro and in vivo. KP-10 was observed to induce apoptosis and inhibit the mobility of MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-157 cells. Correspondingly, KP-10 suppressed tumor growth in established xenograft tumor models and improved the survival rate of tumor-bearing mice. The formation of intratumoral microvessels was inhibited following treatment with KP-10. Finally, we confirmed that KP-10 inhibited cell mobility via epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Overall, the present study demonstrated that KP-10 suppressed breast cancer and human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) growth both in vivo and in vitro. KP-10 is a novel regulator of EMT in breast cancer cells. However, additional studies are needed to confirm these results in other cell types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Qing Song
- Department of Pancreas and Breast Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Heping, Shenyang, Liaoning 110004, P.R. China
| | - Yi Zhao
- Department of Pancreas and Breast Surgery, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Heping, Shenyang, Liaoning 110004, P.R. China
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Abstract
Loss of cadherin 1 (CDH1; also known as epithelial cadherin (E-cadherin)) is used for the diagnosis and prognosis of epithelial cancers. However, it should not be ignored that the superfamily of transmembrane cadherin proteins encompasses more than 100 members in humans, including other classical cadherins, numerous protocadherins and cadherin-related proteins. Elucidation of their roles in suppression versus initiation or progression of various tumour types is a young but fascinating field of molecular cancer research. These cadherins are very diverse in both structure and function, and their mutual interactions seem to influence biological responses in complex and versatile ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frans van Roy
- Department of Biomedical Molecular Biology, Ghent University, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium.The Inflammation Research Center, VIB, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium
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Coursaget P, Samimi M, Nicol JTJ, Gardair C, Touzé A. Human Merkel cell polyomavirus: virological background and clinical implications. APMIS 2013; 121:755-69. [PMID: 23781869 DOI: 10.1111/apm.12122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2012] [Accepted: 04/11/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV), identified in humans in 2008, is associated with a relatively rare but aggressive neuroendocrine skin cancer, the Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC). MCC incidence is increasing due to the advancing age of the population, the increase in damaging sun exposure and in the number of immunocompromised individuals. MCPyV must be considered as the etiological agent of MCC and thus is the first example of a human oncogenic polyomavirus. MCPyV infection is common, and seroprevalence studies indicate that widespread exposure begins early in life. The majority of adults have anti-MCPyV antibodies and there is a growing body of evidence that healthy human skin harbors resident or transient MCPyV suggesting that MCPyV infection persists throughout life. However, the mode of transmission, the host cells, and the latency characteristics of this virus remain to be elucidated. In addition, it is still not clear whether MCPyV is associated with diseases or lesions other than Merkel cell carcinoma. The etiologic role of MCPyV in MCC opens up opportunities to improve the understanding of this cancer and to potentially improve its treatment.
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Luo W, Li S, Peng B, Ye Y, Deng X, Yao K. Embryonic stem cells markers SOX2, OCT4 and Nanog expression and their correlations with epithelial-mesenchymal transition in nasopharyngeal carcinoma. PLoS One 2013; 8:e56324. [PMID: 23424657 PMCID: PMC3570418 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0056324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 138] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2012] [Accepted: 01/08/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Expression of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) markers (SOX2, OCT4, Nanog and Nestin) is crucial for progression of various human malignancies. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression and prognostic impact of these molecules in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. In the present study, we found that the expression levels of SOX2, OCT4 and Nanog were highly expressed in NPC compared with the non-tumorous tissues. Furthermore, these proteins correlated significantly with several clinicalpathological factors and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated indicators (E-cadherin/N-cadherin and Snail). In multivariate analyses, high expression of OCT4 (P = 0.013) and Nanog (P = 0.040), but not that of SOX2, was associated with worse survival and had strongly independent prognostic effects. Of note, OCT4 and Nanog were more frequently located at the invasive front of tumors, and correlated significantly with various aggressive behaviors including T classification, N classification, M classification and clinical stage. Furthermore, patients with co-expression of OCT4 and Nanog in the invasive front had significantly worse survival (P = 0.005). Interestingly, at the invasive front, these molecules correlated significantly with Nestin expression in endothelial cells (P<0.001). These findings provide evidence that ESCs biomarkers OCT4 and Nanog serves as independent prognostic factors for NPC. Additionally, cancer cells in the invasive front of NPC acquiring ESCs-like features should be maintained by vascular niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiren Luo
- Department of Pathology, Secondary Clinical College, Guangdong Medical College, Dongguan, People's Republic of China
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Siyi Li
- Department of Pathology, Secondary Clinical College, Guangdong Medical College, Dongguan, People's Republic of China
| | - Bailu Peng
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Yanfen Ye
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Xubin Deng
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
| | - Kaitai Yao
- Cancer Research Institute, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China
- * E-mail:
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Vlahova L, Doerflinger Y, Houben R, Becker JC, Schrama D, Weiss C, Goebeler M, Helmbold P, Goerdt S, Peitsch WK. P-cadherin expression in Merkel cell carcinomas is associated with prolonged recurrence-free survival. Br J Dermatol 2012; 166:1043-52. [PMID: 22283194 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2012.10853.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive skin cancer, associated with advanced age, immunosuppression and Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) infections. As development and progression of cancer can be promoted by changes in cell adhesion proteins, we have previously analysed homo- and heterotypic cell-cell contacts of normal Merkel cells and MCCs and obtained indications for cadherin switching. OBJECTIVES To examine the prevalence and prognostic relevance of E-, N- and P-cadherin in MCCs. METHODS Paraffin-embedded MCC samples (n = 148) from 106 different patients were analysed by double-label immunostaining and immunofluorescence microscopy. MCV status was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The cadherin repertoire and MCV status were correlated to clinical data, including tumour stage and recurrence-free survival. RESULTS Ninety-one per cent of all MCC were positive for N-cadherin whereas only 61·6% and 70·3% expressed E- and P-cadherin, respectively. P-cadherin was significantly more frequent in primary tumours than in lymph node metastases (81·9% vs. 40·9%, P = 0·0002). Patients with P-cadherin-positive primary tumours were in earlier tumour stages at initial diagnosis (P = 0·0046). Both in log-rank tests (P = 0·0474) and in multiple Cox regression analysis including age, sex, immunosuppression, stage at initial diagnosis and MCV status (hazard ratio 0·193, P = 0·0373), patients with P-cadherin-positive primary MCCs had significantly prolonged recurrence-free survival (mean 25·2 vs. 10·6 months; median 9·0 vs. 4·0 months). MCV DNA was detected in 78·2% of all MCC, more frequently in P-cadherin-positive MCC (P = 0·0008). CONCLUSION P-cadherin expression in MCCs predicts prolonged recurrence-free survival and may therefore indicate favourable prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Vlahova
- Department of Dermatology, University Medical Centre Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) is a highly aggressive neuroendocrine carcinoma of the skin demonstrating a high propensity of recurrence and metastasis. Its 5-year disease-specific survival rate is only about 60%. Although MCC is still regarded as a very rare tumor entity, its incidence is rapidly increasing. In this regard, the American Cancer Society estimated almost 1500 new cases in the United States in 2008. RECENT FINDINGS The newly identified Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) has been found associated to most MCC cases. Nevertheless, the distinct molecular pathogenesis of MCC and its link to MCV is not yet fully understood. Moreover, the impact of MCV positivity on the course of disease and prognosis of MCC patients is controversially discussed. SUMMARY This review summarizes recent findings on MCC pathogenesis with a special emphasis on the impact of MCV, presents an overview of clinical aspects, and discusses treatment options.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei-Ren Luo
- Cancer Research Institute, Key Laboratory for Transcriptomics and Proteomics of Human Fatal Diseases Supported by Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
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Current World Literature. Curr Opin Oncol 2012; 24:197-202. [DOI: 10.1097/cco.0b013e32835164ff] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Rickelt S, Moll I, Franke WW. Intercellular adhering junctions with an asymmetric molecular composition: desmosomes connecting Merkel cells and keratinocytes. Cell Tissue Res 2011; 346:65-77. [PMID: 22006253 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-011-1260-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2011] [Accepted: 09/23/2011] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Merkel cells (MCs) are special neuroendocrine epithelial cells that occur as individual cells or as cell groups within the confinements of a major epithelium formed and dominated by other epithelial cells. In the epidermis and some of its appendages MCs are mostly located in the basal cell layer, occasionally also in suprabasal layers and generally occur in linear arrays in outer root sheath cell layers of hair follicles. As MCs are connected to the adjacent keratinocytes by a series of adhering junctions (AJs), of which the desmosomes are the most prominent, these junctions represent heterotypic cell-cell connections, i.e. a kind of structure not yet elucidated in molecular terms. Therefore, we have studied these AJs in order to examine the molecular composition of the desmosomal halves. Using light- and electron-microscopic immunolocalization and keratin 20 as the MC-specific cell type marker we show that the plaques of the MC half of the desmosomes specifically and constitutively contain plakophilin Pkp2. This protein, however, is absent in the keratinocyte half of such heterotypic desmosomes which instead contains Pkp1 and/or Pkp3. We discuss the developmental, tissue-architectonic and functional importance of such asymmetric junctions in normal physiology as well as in diseases, in particular in the formation of distant tumor cell metastasis.
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