Background & objective: Ezrin is a member of the ERM family, which acts as links between the plasma membrane and the actin cytoskeleton. It affects differentiation, invasion, and metastasis of cancers by modulating adhesion molecules on the surface of the cell membrane. The purpose of the experiment is to examine the expressions of Ezrin and two cellular membrane adhesion molecules, namely Cadherin and CD44, on hepatocellular carcinomas, in order to investigate the effects of Ezrin on the regulation of adhesion molecules in tumor cells and the invasive growth of hepatic carcinoma cells.
Method: Sixty-seven specimens of hepatic carcinoma were obtained from surgical excisions (52 cases with both cancerous and non-carcerous liver tissue), and examined the role of Ezrin as a potential regulator of the adhesion by the inhibition of Ezrin in HepG6 cells. Immunohistochemical stainings of Ezrin, E-Cadherin, and CD44v6 were performed,
Results: Twenty-seven cases were Ezrin positive in the tumor tissue (27/67, 40.30%); E-Cadherin, 37 cases (37/67, 55.22%). Both stainings directly correlated with cell differentiation; the poorer the differentiation, the weaker the expression. The specimens lost expression in highly undifferentiated tissue. Compared with the non-carcerous liver tissue, there was a significant difference. CD44v6 was positive in 18 cases (18/67, 26.87%). There was a drastic loss of expression in the non-cancerous tissue. Decrease in E-Cadherin and increase in CD44V6 OF HepG6 cells using anti-ezrin.
Conclusion: A decrease in Ezrin expression affects cell differentiation and adhesion of hepatocellular carcinoma by modulating adhesion molecules E-Cadherin and CD44v6.