Expression of the cell adhesion molecule, epithelial nism. 2,3 The transmembrane linker glycoprotein that cadherin (E-CD) and its binding proteins, a-and b-caten-mediates this adhesion is thought to be epithelial cadins, in normal liver, chronic liver diseases, and hepato-herin (E-CD), the homophilic interaction of which links cellular carcinomas (HCCs) was investigated immuno-adjacent cells.4 E-CD is a member of the cadherin famhistologically. In normal liver, weak immunostaining of ily that is involved in Ca 2/ -dependent cell-cell adhesion E-CD and catenins was observed at the lateral mem-in vertebrate tissues.4,5 Regulated E-CD expression fabranes of the hepatocytes, whereas at the interlobular cilitates several epithelial morphogenetic events, in- 3,4 In rat livers, it is suggested that Eas well as Hering canals and proliferating ductules, CD may be a fundamental factor in hepatocyte polarity showed markedly increased molecular expression. Anal-formation and in shaping hepatic plates during embryysis of 66 HCC lesions revealed that the majority (64.3-onic development.6 However, the physiological roles 96.6%) of thin trabecular-and pseudoglandular-type tu-and distribution of E-CD in human liver are still poorly mors preserved or overexpressed E-CD and catenins, understood.
whereas thick trabecular-type HCCs frequently showedRecent studies have shown that the full adhesive low E-CD and a-catenin expression (56.5-65.2% reducfunction of E-CD is expressed only when it is complexed tion), suggesting that the thick trabecular histology represented diffuse tumor cell growth. Likewise, the E-CD via a specific cytoplasmic binding domain with three and catenin expression levels correlated with the HCC cytosolic proteins, termed a-, b-, and g-catenins.7,8 Cacell differentiation grades. These collective results indi-tenins mediate connection of E-CD to the actin filament cate that intercellular adhesion mediated by the E-CD-network and link E-CD to other transmembrane procatenin system plays a role in morphological changes in teins, such as Na Furthermore, b-catenin was shown to be the common target for signal transduction pathways mediated by Tight cell-cell binding is an essential phenomenon the proto-oncogenes src and wnt-1 10 and for a-and bthat characterizes the epithelial cellular phenotype, catenins bound to a protein product of the tumor supwhich is achieved primarily by the adherens junctions pressor gene APC (adenomatous polyposis coli). 11,12 present on the cell membranes.1 In normal epithelium, These findings suggest that, in addition to regulating the junctions form a continuous adhesion belt around E-CD activity, catenins play a role in controlling tumoreach interacting cell; those in adjacent epithelial cells igenic cell growth. are directly apposed to them, and the interacting memIt has been known for some time that intercellular branes are held together by a Ca 2/ -dependent mechaadhesion becomes weakened morphologically in carcinomas. Indeed, certain types of carcinoma, such as signet ring cell and und...