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Cadherin–catenin complex dissociation in lobular neoplasia of the breast

  • Epidemiology
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Abstract

E-cadherin (E-CD) inactivation with loss of E-CD-mediated cell adhesion is the hallmark of lesions of the lobular phenotype. E-CD is typically absent by immunohistochemistry in both lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS) and invasive lobular lesions, suggesting it occurs early in the neoplastic process. In laboratory models, downstream post-transcriptional modifiers such as TWIST and SNAIL contribute to the dissociation of the intracellular component of the cadherin–catenin complex (CCC), resulting in tumor progression and invasion. We hypothesized that complete CCC dissociation may play a role in lobular neoplasia progression. Here we explore the relationship between loss of E-CD and dissociation of the CCC in pure LCIS and LCIS associated with invasive cancer. Fresh-frozen tissues were obtained from 36 patients undergoing mastectomy for pure LCIS (n = 11), LCIS with ILC (n = 18) or LCIS with IDC (n = 7). Individual lesions were subject to laser-capture microdissection and gene-expression analysis (Affymetrix HG-U133A 2.0). Immunohistochemistry for ER,PR,HER2, E-CD,N-CD,α-,β-, and phosphoβ-catenin, TWIST, and SNAIL were evaluated in normal, in situ, and invasive components from matched formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples (n = 36). CCC-dissociation was defined as negative membranous E-CD, α- and β-catenin expression. E-CD was negative in all LCIS and ILC lesions, and positive in all normal and IDC lesions. Membranous α and β-catenin expressions decreased with the transition from LCIS to ILC (pure LCIS 82%; LCIS w/ILC 28%; ILC 0%), while TWIST expression increased (pure LCIS low; LCIS w/ILC moderate; ILC high). Gene expression paralleled IHC-staining patterns with a stepwise downregulation of E-CD, α and β-catenins from normal to LCIS to invasive lesions, and increasing expression of TWIST from normal to LCIS to ILC. Loss of E-CD expression is an early event in lobular neoplasia. Decreasing membranous catenin expression in tandem with increasing levels of TWIST across the spectrum of lobular lesions suggests that CCC dissociation is a progressive process.

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Acknowledgments

Funding for this study was provided by the Breast Cancer Alliance, the Geoffrey Beene Cancer Research Center, the Association of Women Surgeons, and the Society of Surgical Oncology.

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors have control of all primary data and agree to allow the journal to review the data if requested.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Breast Service, Department of Surgery, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 300 E. 66th St., New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Mary Morrogh, Victor P. Andrade, Rita A. Sakr, Wooyul Paik, Monica Morrow & Tari A. King

  2. Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Dilip Giri & Edi Brogi

  3. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Li Xuan Qin

  4. Sloan-Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065, USA

    Crispinita D. Arroyo

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  1. Mary Morrogh
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  3. Dilip Giri
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Correspondence to Tari A. King.

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Mary Morrogh and Victor P. Andrade contributed equally to this work and share first authorship on this paper.

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Morrogh, M., Andrade, V.P., Giri, D. et al. Cadherin–catenin complex dissociation in lobular neoplasia of the breast. Breast Cancer Res Treat 132, 641–652 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10549-011-1860-0

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