ATS
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Personal Folders
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Permission Requests
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Yoshino, I.
Right arrow Articles by Sugimachi, K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Yoshino, I.
Right arrow Articles by Sugimachi, K.

Ann Thorac Surg 2002;73:933-937
© 2002 The Society of Thoracic Surgeons

Original article: general thoracic

Expression status of E-cadherin and {alpha}-, ß-, and {gamma}-catenins in thymoma

Ichiro Yoshino, MD*a, Shinichiro Kase, MDa, Tokujiro Yano, MDa, Kenji Sugio, MDa, Keizo Sugimachi, MD, FACSa

a Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

Accepted for publication October 20, 2001.

* Address reprint requests to Dr Yoshino, Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
e-mail: iyoshino{at}surg2.med.kyushu-u.ac.jp

Background. A loss or dysfunction of E-cadherin or catenins, which maintain tissue integrity, is associated with an invasive phenotype of various solid tumors. Therefore, we analyzed the expression of E-cadherin and {alpha}-catenin, ß-catenin, and {gamma}-catenin in thymoma tissue specimens to investigate its clinical significance.

Methods. The expressions of E-cadherin and {alpha}-catenin, ß-catenin, and {gamma}-catenin in thymoma tissues were evaluated in 21 patients, including 9 epithelial predominant type, 5 lymphocytic predominant type, and 7 mixed type patients based on an immunohistochemical analysis using monoclonal antibodies, and the relationship between the expression status and clinicopathologic features was investigated.

Results. Reduced expressions were observed in 11 patients (52%) for E-cadherin, 10 (45%) for {alpha}-catenin, 6 (27%) for ß-catenin, and 10 (45%) for {gamma}-catenin. Such an expression status (reduced or preserved) of the molecules closely correlated with each other. The expression of E-cadherin was well preserved in 5 of 5 patients with lymphocyte predominant type whereas E-cadherin was reduced in 11 of 17 patients with other histologic subtypes. All of the 9 cortex type thymomas (B1 to 3) showed preserved expression of ß-catenin. There was no significant relationship among the expressions of the molecules and the Masaoka stage classification (I versus others).

Conclusions. The status of expressions for these molecules may affect the degree of lymphoid infiltration while not affecting the degree of invasiveness in thymoma.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
ANN THORAC SURG ASIAN CARDIOVASC THORAC ANN EUR J CARDIOTHORAC SURG
J THORAC CARDIOVASC SURG ICVTS ALL CTSNet JOURNALS
Copyright © 2002 by The Society of Thoracic Surgeons.