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Coordinated Functions of E-Cadherin and Transforming Growth Factor ß Receptor II In vitro and In vivo

¹ Division of Gastroenterology and Department of Medicine, ² Department of Genetics, ³ Abramson Cancer Center, and ⁴ The Wistar Institute, University of Pennsylvania; ⁵ Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Requests for reprints: Anil K. Rustgi, Division of Gastroenterology, 600 CRB, University of Pennsylvania, 415 Curie Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Phone: 215-898-0154; Fax: 215-573-5412; E-mail: anil2{at}mail.med.upenn.edu.

In epithelial cells, E-cadherin plays a key role in cell-cell adhesion, and loss of E-cadherin is a hallmark of tumor progression fostering cancer cell invasion and metastasis. To examine E-cadherin loss in squamous cell cancers, we used primary human esophageal epithelial cells (keratinocytes) as a platform and retrovirally transduced wild-type and dominant-negative forms of E-cadherin into these cells. We found decreased cell adhesion in the cells expressing dominant-negative E-cadherin, thereby resulting in enhanced migration and invasion. To analyze which molecular pathway(s) may modulate these changes, we conducted microarray analysis and found up-regulation of transforming growth factor ß receptor II (TßRII) in the wild-type E-cadherin-overexpressing cells, which was confirmed by real-time PCR and Western blot analyses. To investigate the in vivo relevance of this finding, we analyzed tissue microarrays of paired esophageal squamous cell carcinomas and adjacent normal esophagus, and we could show a coordinated loss of E-cadherin and TßRII in 80% of tumors. To determine if there may be an E-cadherin-dependent regulation of TßRII, we show the physical interaction of E-cadherin with TßRII and that this is mediated through the extracellular domains of E-cadherin and TßRII, respectively. In addition, TßRI is recruited to this complex. When placed in the context of three-dimensional cell culture, which reflects the physiologic microenvironment, TßRII-mediated cell signaling is dependent upon intact E-cadherin function. Our results, which suggest that E-cadherin regulates TßRII function, have important implications for epithelial carcinogenesis characterized through the frequent occurrence of E-cadherin and TßRII loss. (Cancer Res 2006; 66(20): 9878-85)