Characterization of the E‐cadherin/catenin complex in colorectal carcinoma cell lines
El‐Bahrawy M., Poulsom SR., Rowan AJ., Tomlinson IT., Alison MR.
SummaryThe E‐cadherin/catenin complex is a prime mediator of cell–cell adhesion. APC mutations can result in loss of β‐catenin downregulation and an accumulation of β‐catenin in the cell. β‐CATENIN mutations can have a similar effect. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of β‐CATENIN and APC mutations on the expression and assembly of the E‐cadherin/catenin complex. Five colorectal carcinoma cell lines with different APC and β‐CATENIN gene status were selected and mutations were confirmed. The expression of members of the E‐cadherin/catenin complex was studied by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting. Complex assembly was investigated by immunoprecipitation. It is shown that E‐cadherin and catenins are expressed in colorectal carcinoma cell lines with the predominant complex assembly being E‐cadherin/β‐catenin/α‐catenin. The subcellular distribution of the proteins is influenced by cell–cell contact, resulting in membranous localization. The expression and assembly of the E‐cadherin/catenin complex does not appear to be affected by the presence of APC and or β‐CATENIN mutations.