Nuclear staining of claudin-18 is a new immunohistochemical marker for diagnosing intramucosal well-differentiated gastric adenocarcinoma.

Diagnosis of gastric adenocarcinoma using small biopsy samples is occasionally difficult. Various markers have been employed for improving the diagnostic accuracy, but there remains room for improvement. A total of 129 endoscopically biopsied samples were studied, consisting of 104 intramucosal tubular adenocarcinomas, 24 non-cancerous lesions and one cancer sample originally suspected of non-cancer but revised as cancer after immunostaining. We evaluated the association between histopathology and immunohistochemical expression of MUC1, HER2, p53, CEA, E-cadherin, ß-catenin and claudin-18. Regarding ß-catenin and claudin-18, not only membranous expression (ß-catenin(M) and claudin-18(M)) but also nuclear expression (ß-catenin(N) and claudin-18(N)) were analyzed. When subtyped with mucin core protein expression, the gastric-type cancers dominantly expressed claudin-18(M), while claudin-18(N) was significantly encountered in intestinal- and mixed-types. Expression of MUC1 (P = 0.0010), HER2 (P = 0.0173), p53 (P = 0.0002), CEA (P = 0.0019) and claudin-18(N) (P < 0.0001) revealed significant correlation with gastric cancers. Negative correlation of claudin-18(M) (P = 0.0125) was also noted. MUC1 and p53 were negative in non-cancer lesions. The non-cancer group exceptionally expressed HER2 and ß-catenin(N). Membranous expression of E-cadherin was consistent in both groups. Logistic regression analysis showed that MUC1 (P = 0.0086), p53 (P = 0.0031), claudin-18(M) (P = 0.0158) and claudin-18(N) (P = 0.0190) were independently associated with gastric cancers. Nuclear expression of claudin-18 should be the novel diagnostic marker for gastric cancer.

Blepharocheilodontic syndrome is a CDH1 pathway-related disorder due to mutations in CDH1 and CTNND1.

PURPOSE: Blepharocheilodontic (BCD) syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant condition characterized by eyelid malformations, cleft lip/palate, and ectodermal dysplasia. The molecular basis of BCD syndrome remains unknown. METHODS: We recruited 11 patients from 8 families and performed exome sequencing for 5 families with de novo BCD syndrome cases and targeted Sanger sequencing in the 3 remaining families. RESULTS: We identified five CDH1 heterozygous missense mutations and three CTNND1 heterozygous truncating mutations leading to loss-of-function or haploinsufficiency. Establishment of detailed genotype-phenotype correlations was not possible because of the size of the cohort; however, the phenotype seems to appear more severe in case of CDH1 mutations. Functional analysis of CDH1 mutations confirmed their deleterious impact and suggested accelerated E-cadherin degradation. CONCLUSION: Mutations in CDH1 encoding the E-cadherin were previously reported in hereditary diffuse gastric cancer as well as in nonsyndromic cleft lip/palate. Mutations in CTNND1 have never been reported before. The encoded protein, p120ctn, prevents E-cadherin endocytosis and stabilizes its localization at the cell surface. Conditional deletion of Cdh1 and Ctnnd1 in various animal models induces features reminiscent of BCD syndrome and underlines critical role of the E-cadherin-p120ctn interaction in eyelid, craniofacial, and tooth development. Our data assert BCD syndrome as a CDH1 pathway-related disorder due to mutations in CDH1 and CTNND1 and widen the phenotypic spectrum of E-cadherin anomalies.Genet Med advance online publication 09 March 2017.

Investigation of the molecular mechanism of δ-catenin ubiquitination: Implication of ß-TrCP-1 as a potential E3 ligase.

Ubiquitination, a post-translational modification, involves the covalent attachment of ubiquitin to the target protein. The ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and the endosome-lysosome pathway control the degradation of the majority of eukaryotic proteins. Our previous study illustrated that δ-catenin ubiquitination occurs in a glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) phosphorylation-dependent manner. However, the molecular mechanism of δ-catenin ubiquitination is still unknown. Here, we show that the lysine residues required for ubiquitination are located mainly in the C-terminal portion of δ-catenin. In addition, we provide evidence that ß-TrCP-1 interacts with δ-catenin and functions as an E3 ligase, mediating δ-catenin ubiquitin-proteasome degradation. Furthermore, we prove that both the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway and the lysosome degradation pathway are involved in δ-catenin degradation. Our novel findings on the mechanism of δ-catenin ubiquitination will add a new perspective to δ-catenin degradation and the effects of δ-catenin on E-cadherin involved in epithelial cell-cell adhesion, which is implicated in prostate cancer progression.

Adherens Junction and E-Cadherin complex regulation by epithelial polarity.

E-Cadherin-based Adherens Junctions (AJs) are a defining feature of all epithelial sheets. Through the homophilic association of E-Cadherin molecules expressed on neighboring cells, they ensure intercellular adhesion amongst epithelial cells, and regulate many key aspects of epithelial biology. While their adhesive role requires these structures to remain stable, AJs are also extremely plastic. This plasticity allows for the adaptation of the cell to its changing environment: changes in neighbors after cell division, cell death, or cell movement, and changes in cell shape during differentiation. In this review we focus on the recent advances highlighting the critical role of the apico-basal polarity machinery, and in particular of the Par3/Bazooka scaffold, in the regulation and remodeling of AJs. We propose that by regulating key phosphorylation events on the core E-Cadherin complex components, Par3 and epithelial polarity promote meta-stable protein complexes governing the correct formation, localization, and functioning of AJ.

p120-catenin controls contractility along the vertical axis of epithelial lateral membranes.

In vertebrate epithelia, p120-catenin (hereafter referred to as p120; also known as CTNND1) mediates E-cadherin stability and suppression of RhoA. Genetic ablation of p120 in various epithelial tissues typically causes striking alterations in tissue function and morphology. Although these effects could very well involve p120's activity towards Rho, ascertaining the impact of this relationship has been complicated by the fact that p120 is also required for cell-cell adhesion. Here, we have molecularly uncoupled p120's cadherin-stabilizing and RhoA-suppressing activites. Unexpectedly, removing p120's Rho-suppressing activity dramatically disrupted the integrity of the apical surface, irrespective of E-cadherin stability. The physical defect was tracked to excessive actomyosin contractility along the vertical axis of lateral membranes. Thus, we suggest that p120's distinct activities towards E-cadherin and Rho are molecularly and functionally coupled and this, in turn, enables the maintenance of cell shape in the larger context of an epithelial monolayer. Importantly, local suppression of contractility by cadherin-bound p120 appears to go beyond regulating cell shape, as loss of this activity also leads to major defects in epithelial lumenogenesis.

Inhibition of E-cadherin/catenin complex formation by O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase is partially independent of its catalytic activity.

p120-catenin (p120) contains a large central armadillo repeat domain, via which it binds to E­cadherin to stabilize the latter, thereby regulating cell­to­cell adhesion. A previous study by our group demonstrated that O­linked N­acetylglucosamine (O­GlcNAc) is involved in the regulation of the interaction between p120 and E­cadherin. As O­GlcNAc transferase (OGT) is able to directly bind to the majority of its target proteins, the present study hypothesized that OGT may additionally regulate the formation of the E­cadherin/catenin complex independent of its catalytic activity. To verify this hypothesis, a catalytically inactive OGT mutant was expressed in H1299 cells, and its effects on the formation of the E­cadherin/catenin complex were assessed. A cytoskeleton­binding protein extraction assay confirmed that OGT inhibited the formation of the E­cadherin/catenin complex independent of its catalytic activity. In addition, co­immunoprecipitation and pull­down assays were used to evaluate the interaction between OGT and p120. Immunoblotting indicated that OGT was able to directly bind to p120. To determine the domain of p120 involved in binding to OGT, a series of deletion mutants of p120 were constructed and subjected to protein binding assays by pull­down assays. Immunoblotting showed that OGT bound to the regulatory and armadillo domains of p120, which might interfere with the interaction between p120 and E­cadherin. Finally, OGT, p120 and E­cadherin cytoplasmic domains (ECD) were recombinantly expressed in BL21 (DE3) recombinant E. coli cells, and a glutathione S­transferase (GST) pull­down assay was performed to assess the interactions among the purified recombinant proteins. Immunoblotting indicated that maltose­binding protein (MBP)­OGT inhibited the binding of His­p120 to GST­ECD in a dose­dependent manner. All of these results suggested that OGT inhibited the formation of the E­cadherin/catenin complex through reducing the interaction between p120 and E­cadherin. The present study provided a novel underlying mechanism of the regulation of the interaction between p120 and E­cadherin, and thus E­cadherin­mediated cell­cell adhesion, which has essential roles in cancer development and progression.

DIPA-family coiled-coils bind conserved isoform-specific head domain of p120-catenin family: potential roles in hydrocephalus and heterotopia.

p120-catenin (p120) modulates adherens junction (AJ) dynamics by controlling the stability of classical cadherins. Among all p120 isoforms, p120-3A and p120-1A are the most prevalent. Both stabilize cadherins, but p120-3A is preferred in epithelia, whereas p120-1A takes precedence in neurons, fibroblasts, and macrophages. During epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, E- to N-cadherin switching coincides with p120-3A to -1A alternative splicing. These isoforms differ by a 101-amino acid "head domain" comprising the p120-1A N-terminus. Although its exact role is unknown, the head domain likely mediates developmental and cancer-associated events linked to p120-1A expression (e.g., motility, invasion, metastasis). Here we identified delta-interacting protein A (DIPA) as the first head domain-specific binding partner and candidate mediator of isoform 1A activity. DIPA colocalizes with AJs in a p120-1A- but not 3A-dependent manner. Moreover, all DIPA family members (Ccdc85a, Ccdc85b/DIPA, and Ccdc85c) interact reciprocally with p120 family members (p120, δ-catenin, p0071, and ARVCF), suggesting significant functional overlap. During zebrafish neural tube development, both knockdown and overexpression of DIPA phenocopy N-cadherin mutations, an effect bearing functional ties to a reported mouse hydrocephalus phenotype associated with Ccdc85c. These studies identify a novel, highly conserved interaction between two protein families that may participate either individually or collectively in N-cadherin-mediated development.

Overexpression of a novel regulator of p120 catenin, NLBP, promotes lung adenocarcinoma proliferation.

NLBP (novel LZAP-binding protein) was recently shown to function as a tumor suppressor capable of inhibiting the NFκB signaling pathway. NLBP is also known as a negative regulator of cell invasion, and its expression is reduced in several cancer cell lines that have little invasive activity. Although these phenomena suggest that NLBP may be a potential tumor suppressor, its role as a tumor suppressor in human lung cancer is not well established. In contrast to our expectation, NLBP was highly expressed in the early stage of lung adenocarcinoma tissues, and overexpression of NLBP promoted proliferation of H1299 lung adenocarcinoma cells. We also found that p120 catenin (p120ctn) was a novel binding partner of NLBP, and that NLBP binds to the regulatory domain of p120ctn, and p120ctn associates with N-terminal region of NLBP, respectively. This binding leads to p120ctn stability to inhibit proteasomal degradation of p120ctn by inhibiting its ubiqutination. In addition, we also found that overexpression of NLBP and p120ctn in human lung cancer are closely related with adenocarcinoma compared with squamous cell carcinoma. Taken together, our findings reveal that NLBP is highly overexpressed in human lung adenocarcinoma, and that overexpression of NLBP promotes the cell proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma through interacting with p120ctn and suggest that NLBP may function as an oncogene in early stage carcinogenesis of lung adenocarcinoma.

Cigarette smoke disrupts the integrity of airway adherens junctions through the aberrant interaction of p120-catenin with the cytoplasmic tail of MUC1.

Adherens junctions (AJs) containing epithelial cadherin (E-cad) bound to p120-catenin (p120ctn) and ß-catenin (ß-ctn) play a crucial role in regulating cell-cell adhesion. Cigarette smoke abrogates cell-cell adhesion between epithelial cells by disrupting E-cad, a hallmark of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), yet the underlying mechanism remains unknown. We used an organotypic culture of primary human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells treated with smoke-concentrated medium (Smk) to establish an essential role for the interaction between p120ctn and the cytoplasmic tail of MUC1 (MUC1-CT) in regulating E-cad disruption. Within the first 4 h of smoke exposure, apical MUC1-CT repositioned to the basolateral membrane of pseudo-stratified HBE cells, where it interacted with p120ctn. A time-dependent increase in MUC1-CT/p120ctn complexes occurred in conjunction with a time-dependent dissociation of p120ctn/E-cad/ß-ctn complexes, as well as the coordinated degradation of p120ctn and E-cad. Interestingly, Smk induced a similar interaction between MUC1-CT and ß-ctn, but this occurred 44 h after MUC1-CT's initial interaction with p120ctn, and well after the AJs were destroyed. Blocking MUC1-CT's interaction with p120ctn using a MUC1-CT dominant-negative peptide, PMIP, successfully abolished Smk's disruptive effects on AJs and recovered apical-basolateral polarity of HBE cells. The MUC1-CT/p120ctn interaction was highly dependent on EGFR/Src/Jnk-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation (TyrP) of MUC1-CT. Accordingly, EGFR, Src or Jnk inhibitors (AG1478, PP2, SP600125, respectively) abrogated Smk-induced MUC1-CT-TyrP, MUC1-CT/p120ctn interaction, AJ disruption, and loss of cellular polarity. Our work identified MUC1-CT and p120ctn as important regulators of epithelial polarity and cell-cell adhesion during a smoke-induced EMT-like process. Novel therapeutics designed to inhibit MUC1-CT/p120ctn complex formation may prevent EMT in the smoker's airway.

Functions of p120ctn in development and disease.

p120 catenin (p120ctn), a component of the cadherin-catenin complex, was the first member to be identified in a most interesting subfamily of the Armadillo family. Several p120ctn isoforms are generated by alternative splicing. These isoforms fulfill pleiotropic functions according to their subcellular localization: modulating the turnover rate of membrane-bound cadherins, regulating the activation of small Rho GTPases in the cytoplasm, and modulating nuclear transcription. Over the last two decades, knowledge of p120ctn has grown remarkably, and this has been achieved in part by using different animal models. At least in frog and mammals, p120ctn is essential for normal development and homeostasis. Here we will discuss the effects of different p120ctn isoforms on cadherin turnover and on signaling in the cytoplasm and the nucleus. We will also elaborate on the structure and function of other members of the p120ctn subfamily: ARVCF, p0071 and delta-catenin. Finally, we will overview the respective roles of p120ctn family members in pathological processes, and particularly in cancer as p120ctn is frequently.

Identification of novel NPRAP/δ-catenin-interacting proteins and the direct association of NPRAP with dynamin 2.

Neural plakophilin-related armadillo protein (NPRAP or δ-catenin) is a neuronal-specific protein that is best known for its interaction with presenilin 1 (PS1). Interestingly, the hemizygous loss of NPRAP is associated with severe mental retardation in cri du chat syndrome (CDCS), and mutations in PS1 cause an aggressive, early-onset form of Alzheimer's disease. Until recently, studies on the function of NPRAP have focused on its ability to modulate dendritic protrusion elaboration through its binding to cell adhesion and scaffolding molecules. However, mounting evidence indicates that NPRAP participates in intracellular signaling and exists in the nucleus, where it modulates gene expression. This apparent bifunctional nature suggests an elaborate neuronal role, but how NPRAP came to participate in such distinct subcellular events remains a mystery. To gain insight into this pathway, we immunoprecipitated NPRAP from human SH SY5Y cells and identified several novel interacting proteins by mass spectrometry. These included neurofilament alpha-internexin, interferon regulatory protein 2 binding factors, and dynamins 1 and 2. We further validated dynamin 2/NPRAP colocalization and direct interaction in vivo, confirming their bona fide partnership. Interestingly, dynamin 2 has established roles in endocytosis and actin assembly, and both of these processes have the potential to interface with the cell adhesion and intracellular signaling processes that involve NPRAP. Our data provide new avenues for approaching NPRAP biology and suggest a broader role for this protein than previously thought.

A role for ZO-1 and PLEKHA7 in recruiting paracingulin to tight and adherens junctions of epithelial cells.

Paracingulin is a 160-kDa protein localized in the cytoplasmic region of epithelial tight and adherens junctions, where it regulates RhoA and Rac1 activities by interacting with guanine nucleotide exchange factors. Here, we investigate the molecular mechanisms that control the recruitment of paracingulin to cell-cell junctions. We show that paracingulin forms a complex with the tight junction protein ZO-1, and the globular head domain of paracingulin interacts directly with ZO-1 through an N-terminal region containing a conserved ZIM (ZO-1-Interaction-Motif) sequence. Recruitment of paracingulin to cadherin-based cell-cell junctions in Rat1 fibroblasts requires the ZIM-containing region, whereas in epithelial cells removal of this region decreases the junctional localization of paracingulin at tight junctions but not at adherens junctions. Depletion of ZO-1, but not ZO-2, reduces paracingulin accumulation at tight junctions. A yeast two-hybrid screen identifies both ZO-1 and the adherens junction protein PLEKHA7 as paracingulin-binding proteins. Paracingulin forms a complex with PLEKHA7 and its interacting partner p120ctn, and the globular head domain of paracingulin interacts directly with a central region of PLEKHA7. Depletion of PLEKHA7 from Madin-Darby canine kidney cells results in the loss of junctional localization of paracingulin and a decrease in its expression. In summary, we characterize ZO-1 and PLEKHA7 as paracingulin-interacting proteins that are involved in its recruitment to epithelial tight and adherens junctions, respectively.

Shared molecular mechanisms regulate multiple catenin proteins: canonical Wnt signals and components modulate p120-catenin isoform-1 and additional p120 subfamily members.

Wnt signaling pathways have fundamental roles in animal development and tumor progression. Here, employing Xenopus embryos and mammalian cell lines, we report that the degradation machinery of the canonical Wnt pathway modulates p120-catenin protein stability through mechanisms shared with those regulating ß-catenin. For example, in common with ß-catenin, exogenous expression of destruction complex components, such as GSK3ß and axin, promotes degradation of p120-catenin. Again in parallel with ß-catenin, reduction of canonical Wnt signals upon depletion of LRP5 and LRP6 results in p120-catenin degradation. At the primary sequence level, we resolved conserved GSK3ß phosphorylation sites in the amino-terminal region of p120-catenin present exclusively in isoform-1. Point-mutagenesis of these residues inhibited the association of destruction complex components, such as those involved in ubiquitylation, resulting in stabilization of p120-catenin. Functionally, in line with predictions, p120 stabilization increased its signaling activity in the context of the p120-Kaiso pathway. Importantly, we found that two additional p120-catenin family members, ARVCF-catenin and δ-catenin, associate with axin and are degraded in its presence. Thus, as supported using gain- and loss-of-function approaches in embryo and cell line systems, canonical Wnt signals appear poised to have an impact upon a breadth of catenin biology in vertebrate development and, possibly, human cancers.

The 19-amino acid insertion in the tumor-associated splice isoform Rac1b confers specific binding to p120 catenin.

The Rac1b splice isoform contains a 19-amino acid insertion not found in Rac1; this insertion leads to decreased GTPase activity and reduced affinity for GDP, resulting in the intracellular predominance of GTP-bound Rac1b. Here, using co-precipitation and proteomic methods, we find that Rac1b does not bind to many common regulators of Rho family GTPases but that it does display enhanced binding to SmgGDS, RACK1, and p120 catenin (p120(ctn)), proteins involved in cell-cell adhesion, motility, and transcriptional regulation. We use molecular modeling and structure analysis approaches to determine that the interaction between Rac1b and p120(ctn) is dependent upon protein regions that are predicted to be unstructured in the absence of molecular complex formation, suggesting that the interaction between these two proteins involves coupled folding and binding. We also find that directed cell movement initiated by Rac1b is dependent upon p120. These results define a distinct binding functionality of Rac1b and provide insight into how the distinct phenotypic program activated by this protein may be implemented through molecular recognition of effectors distinct from those of Rac1.

Delta-catenin affects the localization and stability of p120-catenin by competitively interacting with E-cadherin.

E-cadherin is a member of the cadherin family of Ca(2+)-dependent cell-cell adhesion molecules. p120-Catenin and delta-catenin are known to bind to similar juxtamembrane regions of E-cadherin, and p120-catenin is known to stabilize E-cadherin. However, the function of competition between p120-catenin and delta-catenin for E-cadherin has not been fully explained. In this report, we show that cells overexpressing delta-catenin contain less p120-catenin than control cells at the cell-cell interface and that this causes the relocalization of p120-catenin from the plasma membrane to the cytosol. We show that successful binding by either one to E-cadherin adversely affects the stability of the other.

An acidic extracellular pH disrupts adherens junctions in HepG2 cells by Src kinases-dependent modification of E-cadherin.

We have previously shown that culturing HepG2 cells in pH 6.6 culture medium increases the c-Src-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of beta-catenin and induces disassembly of adherens junctions (AJs). Here, we investigated the upstream mechanism leading to this pH 6.6-induced modification of E-cadherin. In control cells cultured at pH 7.4, E-cadherin staining was linear and continuous at cell-cell contact sites. Culturing cells at pH 6.6 was not cytotoxic, and resulted in weak and discontinuous junctional E-cadherin staining, consistent with the decreased levels of E-cadherin in membrane fractions. pH 6.6 treatment activated c-Src and Fyn kinase and induced tyrosine phosphorylation of p120 catenin (p120ctn) and E-cadherin. Inhibition of Src family kinases by PP2 attenuated the pH 6.6-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of E-cadherin and p120ctn, and prevented the loss of these proteins from AJs. In addition, E-cadherin was bound to Hakai and ubiquitinated. Furthermore, pH 6.6-induced detachment of E-cadherin from AJs was blocked by pretreatment with MG132 or NH(4)Cl, indicating the involvement of ubiquitin-proteasomal/lysosomal degradation of E-cadherin. An early loss of p120ctn prior to E-cadherin detachment from AJs was noted, concomitant with a decreased association between p120ctn and E-cadherin at pH 6.6. PP2 pretreatment prevented the dissociation of these two proteins. In conclusion, pH 6.6 activated Src kinases, resulting in tyrosine phosphorylation of E-cadherin and p120ctn and a weakening of the association of E-cadherin with p120ctn and contributing to the instability of E-cadherin at AJs.

Expression artifact with retroviral vectors based on pBMN.

While characterizing various splice forms of p120 catenin, we observed what appeared to be a novel posttranslational modification of p120, resulting in a higher molecular weight form that was dependent on the splicing pattern. Further investigation revealed the higher molecular weight form to be a fusion protein between sequences encoded by the retroviral vector and p120. We found that the publicly available sequence of the vector we used does not agree with the experimental sequence. We caution other investigators to be aware of this potential artifact.