N-cadherin in neuroblastoma disease: expression and clinical significance

PLoS One. 2012;7(2):e31206. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0031206. Epub 2012 Feb 15.

Abstract

One of the first and most important steps in the metastatic cascade is the loss of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. N-cadherin, a crucial mediator of homotypic and heterotypic cell-cell interactions, might play a central role in the metastasis of neuroblastoma (NB), a solid tumor of neuroectodermal origin. Using Reverse Transcription Quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR), Western blot, immunocytochemistry and Tissue MicroArrays (TMA) we demonstrate the expression of N-cadherin in neuroblastoma tumors and cell lines. All neuroblastic tumors (n = 356) and cell lines (n = 10) expressed various levels of the adhesion protein. The N-cadherin mRNA expression was significantly lower in tumor samples from patients suffering metastatic disease. Treatment of NB cell lines with the N-cadherin blocking peptide ADH-1 (Exherin, Adherex Technologies Inc.), strongly inhibited tumor cell proliferation in vitro by inducing apoptosis. Our results suggest that N-cadherin signaling may play a role in neuroblastoma disease, marking involvement of metastasis and determining neuroblastoma cell viability.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Apoptosis*
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cadherins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Cadherins / genetics
  • Cadherins / metabolism*
  • Cell Proliferation*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Immunoenzyme Techniques
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / genetics
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / metabolism*
  • Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / pathology
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Neuroblastoma / genetics
  • Neuroblastoma / metabolism*
  • Neuroblastoma / secondary*
  • Peptide Fragments / pharmacology
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Tissue Array Analysis
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured

Substances

  • Cadherins
  • Peptide Fragments
  • RNA, Messenger