Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jun;24(11):5930-5936.
doi: 10.1111/jcmm.15140. Epub 2020 Apr 16.

E-cadherin deregulation in breast cancer

Giovanni Corso  1   2 , Joana Figueiredo  3   4 , Simone Pietro De Angelis  5 , Federica Corso  5 , Antonia Girardi  1 , Joana Pereira  3   4   6 , Raquel Seruca  3   4   6 , Bernardo Bonanni  7 , Patricia Carneiro  3   4 , Gabriella Pravettoni  2   8 , Elena Guerini Rocco  2   9 , Paolo Veronesi  1   2 , Giacomo Montagna  10 , Virgilio Sacchini  2   10 , Sara Gandini  5
Affiliations
Review

E-cadherin deregulation in breast cancer

Giovanni Corso et al. J Cell Mol Med. 2020 Jun.

Abstract

E-cadherin protein (CDH1 gene) integrity is fundamental to the process of epithelial polarization and differentiation. Deregulation of the E-cadherin function plays a crucial role in breast cancer metastases, with worse prognosis and shorter overall survival. In this narrative review, we describe the inactivating mechanisms underlying CDH1 gene activity and its possible translation to clinical practice as a prognostic biomarker and as a potential targeted therapy.

Keywords: E-cadherin; breast cancer; breast cancer metastases; breast cancer prognosis; breast cancer survival.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mechanisms underlying E‐cad inactivation in breast cancer. Loss of E‐cad expression and the spreading abilities of breast cancer cells have been associated with mutations in CDH1 gene, loss of heterozygosity at the E‐cad chromosomal locus, hypermethylation of the CDH1 promoter, transcriptional repression and post‐translational modifications, such as aberrant glycosylation
Figure 2
Figure 2
Differences in E‐cad immunoreactivity in breast cancer. Representative micrographs of lobular carcinoma with no immunohistochemical expression of E‐cad (dashed arrow in A, left) and adjacent normal ducts with normal strong membranous E‐cad staining (full arrow in A, right); invasive breast cancers, no special type showing partial loss (B) and strong (C) membranous immunoreactivity for E‐cad. Original magnification 200×. E‐cad, E‐cadherin
Figure 3
Figure 3
Core biopsy is the principal approach for breast cancer diagnosis. Histopathology and immunohistochemistry are performed on breast biopsy; E‐cad expression is classified as ‘normal’, ‘aberrant’ or ‘absent’. Genetic or epigenetic mechanisms are underlying aberrant or absent E‐cad expression. Patients carrying any somatic genetic/epigenetic defect are classified as ‘high risk’ for breast cancer and carry a worse prognosis. A personalized and intensive screening (follow‐up) is proposed for those patients for early identification of any breast cancer relapse
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Caldas C, Carneiro F, Lynch HT, et al. Familial gastric cancer: overview and guidelines for management. J Med Genet. 1999;36:873‐880. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Corso G, Figueiredo J, La Vecchia C, et al. Hereditary lobular breast cancer with an emphasis on E‐cadherin genetic defect. J Med Genet. 2018;55:431‐441. - PubMed
    1. Takeichi M. Cadherins in cancer: implications for invasion and metastasis. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 1993;5:806‐811. - PubMed
    1. Christofori G, Semb H. The role of the cell‐adhesion molecule E‐cadherin as a tumour‐suppressor gene. Trends Biochem Sci. 1999;24:73‐76. - PubMed
    1. Van Aken E, De Wever O, Correia da Rocha AS, Mareel M. Defective E‐cadherin/catenin complexes in human cancer. Virchows Arch. 2001;439:725‐751. - PubMed

Publication types