Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in the development and progression of adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung
Ludmila Prudkin, Diane D Liu, Natalie C Ozburn, Menghong Sun, Carmen Behrens, Ximing Tang, Kathlynn C Brown, B Nebiyou Bekele, Cesar Moran, Ignacio I Wistuba, Ludmila Prudkin, Diane D Liu, Natalie C Ozburn, Menghong Sun, Carmen Behrens, Ximing Tang, Kathlynn C Brown, B Nebiyou Bekele, Cesar Moran, Ignacio I Wistuba
Abstract
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition is a process in which cells undergo a developmental switch from an epithelial to a mesenchymal phenotype. We investigated the role of this phenomenon in the pathogenesis and progression of adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. Archived tissue from primary tumors (n=325), brain metastases (n=48) and adjacent bronchial epithelial specimens (n=192) were analyzed for immunohistochemical expression by image analysis of E-cadherin, N-cadherin, integrin-alpha v beta 6, vimentin, and matrix metalloproteinase-9. The findings were compared with the patients' clinicopathologic features. High expression of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition phenotype (low E-cadherin and high N-cadherin, integrin-alpha v beta 6, vimentin, and matrix metalloproteinase-9) was found in most lung tumors examined, and the expression pattern varied according to the tumor histologic type. Low E-cadherin membrane and high N-cadherin cytoplasmic expression were significantly more common in squamous cell carcinoma than in adenocarcinoma (P=0.002 and 0.005, respectively). Dysplastic lesions had significantly lower expression of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition phenotype than the squamous cell carcinomas, and integrin-alpha v beta 6 membrane expression increased stepwise according to the histopathologic severity. Brain metastases had decreased epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition expression compared with primary tumors. Brain metastases had significantly lower integrin-alpha v beta 6 membrane (P=0.04), N-cadherin membrane, and cytoplasm (P<0.0002) expression than the primary tumors. The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition phenotype is commonly expressed in primary squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma of the lung; this expression occurs early in the pathogenesis of squamous cell carcinoma. Brain metastases showed characteristics of reversed mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition. Our findings suggest that epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition is a potential target for lung cancer chemoprevention and therapy.
Figures
References
- Jemal A, Siegel R, Ward E. Cancer statistics 2008. CA Cancer J Clin. 2008;58:71–96.
- Minna JD, Gazdar A. Focus on lung cancer. Cancer Cell. 2002;1:49–52.
- Travis WD, Brambilla E, Muller-Hermelink HK, Harris CC. Tumours of the lung. In: Travis WD, Brambilla E, Muller-Hermelink HK, Harris CC, editors. Pathology and Genetics: Tumours of the Lung, Pleura, Thymus and Heartedn, Vol. Lyon: International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC); 2004. pp. 9–124.
- van Zandwijk N. Neoadjuvant strategies for non-small cell lung cancer. Lung Cancer. 2001;34(Suppl 2):S145–S150.
- Wistuba II. Genetics of preneoplasia: lessons from lung cancer. Curr Mol Med. 2007;7:3–14.
- Thiery JP. Epithelial-mesenchymal transitions in tumour progression. Nat Rev Cancer. 2002;2:442–454.
- Thiery JP, Sleeman JP. Complex networks orchestrate epithelial-mesenchymal transitions. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2006;7:131–142.
- Hugo H, Ackland ML, Blick T, et al. Epithelial--mesenchymal and mesenchymal--epithelial transitions in carcinoma progression. J Cell Physiol. 2007;213:374–383.
- Yauch RL, Januario T, Eberhard DA, et al. Epithelial versus mesenchymal phenotype determines in vitro sensitivity and predicts clinical activity of erlotinib in lung cancer patients. Clin Cancer Res. 2005;11:8686–8698.
- Bremnes RM, Veve R, Hirsch FR, Franklin WA. The E-cadherin cell-cell adhesion complex and lung cancer invasion, metastasis, and prognosis. Lung Cancer. 2002;36:115–124.
- Thomson S, Buck E, Petti F, et al. Epithelial to mesenchymal transition is a determinant of sensitivity of non-small-cell lung carcinoma cell lines and xenografts to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibition. Cancer Res. 2005;65:9455–9462.
- Mountain CF. Revisions in the International System for Staging Lung Cancer. Chest. 1997;111:1710–1717.
- Elayadi AN, Samli KN, Prudkin L, et al. A peptide selected by biopanning identifies the integrin alphavbeta6 as a prognostic biomarker for nonsmall cell lung cancer. Cancer Res. 2007;67:5889–5895.
- Wolff AC, Hammond ME, Schwartz JN, et al. American Society of Clinical Oncology/College of American Pathologists guideline recommendations for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 testing in breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 2007;25:118–145.
- Shigematsu H, Lin L, Takahashi T, et al. Clinical and biological features associated with epidermal growth factor receptor gene mutations in lung cancers. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2005;97:339–346.
- Tang X, Shigematsu H, Bekele BN, et al. EGFR tyrosine kinase domain mutations are detected in histologically normal respiratory epithelium in lung cancer patients. Cancer Res. 2005;65:7568–7572.
- Kase S, Sugio K, Yamazaki K, et al. Expression of E-cadherin and beta-catenin in human non-small cell lung cancer and the clinical significance. Clin Cancer Res. 2000;6:4789–4796.
- Deeb G, Wang J, Ramnath N, et al. Altered E-cadherin and epidermal growth factor receptor expressions are associated with patient survival in lung cancer: a study utilizing high-density tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry. Mod Pathol. 2004;17:430–439.
- Nakashima T, Huang C, Liu D, et al. Neural-cadherin expression associated with angiogenesis in non-small-cell lung cancer patients. Br J Cancer. 2003;88:1727–1733.
- Elayadi AN, Samli KN, Prudkin L, et al. A Peptide Selected by Biopanning Identifies the Integrin {alpha}v{beta}6 as a Prognostic Biomarker for Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer. Cancer Res. 2007;67:5889–5895.
- Cox G, Jones JL, O'Byrne KJ. Matrix metalloproteinase 9 and the epidermal growth factor signal pathway in operable non-small cell lung cancer. Clin Cancer Res. 2000;6:2349–2355.
- Swinson DE, Cox G, O'Byrne KJ. Coexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor with related factors is associated with a poor prognosis in non-small-cell lung cancer. Br J Cancer. 2004;91:1301–1307.
- Leinonen T, Pirinen R, Bohm J, et al. Expression of matrix metalloproteinases 7 and 9 in non-small cell lung cancer. Relation to clinicopathological factors, beta-catenin and prognosis. Lung Cancer. 2006;51:313–321.
- Thompson EW, Newgreen DF, Tarin D. Carcinoma invasion and metastasis: a role for epithelial-mesenchymal transition? Cancer Res. 2005;65:5991–5995. discussion 5.
- Bates RC. The alphaVbeta6 integrin as a novel molecular target for colorectal cancer. Future Oncol. 2005;1:821–828.
- Peinado H, Portillo F, Cano A. Transcriptional regulation of cadherins during development and carcinogenesis. Int J Dev Biol. 2004;48:365–375.
- Tomita K, van Bokhoven A, van Leenders GJ, et al. Cadherin switching in human prostate cancer progression. Cancer Res. 2000;60:3650–3654.
- Gilles C, Polette M, Piette J, et al. Vimentin expression in cervical carcinomas: association with invasive and migratory potential. J Pathol. 1996;180:175–180.
- Charalabopoulos K, Gogali A, Kostoula OK, Constantopoulos SH. Cadherin superfamily of adhesion molecules in primary lung cancer. Exp Oncol. 2004;26:256–260.
- Shintani Y, Maeda M, Chaika N, Johnson KR, Wheelock MJ. Collagen I promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in lung cancer cells via transforming growth factor-beta signaling. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2008;38:95–104.
- Shih JY, Tsai MF, Chang TH, et al. Transcription repressor slug promotes carcinoma invasion and predicts outcome of patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Clin Cancer Res. 2005;11:8070–8078.
- Dohadwala M, Yang SC, Luo J, et al. Cyclooxygenase-2-dependent regulation of E-cadherin: prostaglandin E(2) induces transcriptional repressors ZEB1 and snail in non-small cell lung cancer. Cancer Res. 2006;66:5338–5345.
- Schutz A, Schneidenbach D, Aust G, et al. Differential expression and activity status of MMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-9 in tumor and stromal cells of squamous cell carcinomas of the lung. Tumour Biol. 2002;23:179–184.
- Illman SA, Lehti K, Keski-Oja J, Lohi J. Epilysin (MMP-28) induces TGF-beta mediated epithelial to mesenchymal transition in lung carcinoma cells. J Cell Sci. 2006;119:3856–3865.
- Zochbauer-Muller S, Fong KM, Virmani AK, et al. Aberrant promoter methylation of multiple genes in non-small cell lung cancers. Cancer Res. 2001;61:249–255.
- Cavallaro U, Christofori G. Cell adhesion and signalling by cadherins and Ig-CAMs in cancer. Nat Rev Cancer. 2004;4:118–132.
- Eble JA, Haier J. Integrins in cancer treatment. Curr Cancer Drug Targets. 2006;6:89–105.
- Ahmed N, Thompson EW, Quinn MA. Epithelial-mesenchymal interconversions in normal ovarian surface epithelium and ovarian carcinomas: an exception to the norm. J Cell Physiol. 2007;213:581–588.
- Regezi JA, Ramos DM, Pytela R, Dekker NP, Jordan RC. Tenascin and beta 6 integrin are overexpressed in floor of mouth in situ carcinomas and invasive squamous cell carcinomas. Oral Oncol. 2002;38:332–336.
- Friedl P, Wolf K. Tumour-cell invasion and migration: diversity and escape mechanisms. Nat Rev Cancer. 2003;3:362–374.
- Ferrigan L, Wallace WA. Predicting non-small cell lung cancer expression of epidermal growth factor receptor and matrix metalloproteinase 9 from immunohistochemical staining of diagnostic biopsy samples. Eur J Cancer. 2004;40:1589–1592.
- Liu D, Huang C, Kameyama K, et al. E-cadherin expression associated with differentiation and prognosis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Ann Thorac Surg. 2001;71:949–954. discussion 54–55.
- Choi YS, Shim YM, Kim SH, et al. Prognostic significance of E-cadherin and beta-catenin in resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer. Eur J Cardiothorac Surg. 2003;24:441–449.
- Iniesta P, Moran A, De Juan C, et al. Biological and clinical significance of MMP-2, MMP-9, TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in non-small cell lung cancer. Oncol Rep. 2007;17:217–223.
- Fedor-Chaiken M, Hein PW, Stewart JC, Brackenbury R, Kinch MS. E-cadherin inding modulates EGF receptor activation. Cell Commun Adhes. 2003;10:105–118.
- Andl CD, Rustgi AK. No one-way street: cross-talk between e-cadherin and receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) signaling: a mechanism to regulate RTK activity. Cancer Biol Ther. 2005;4:28–31.
- Witta SE, Gemmill RM, Hirsch FR, et al. Restoring E-cadherin expression increases sensitivity to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors in lung cancer cell lines. Cancer Res. 2006;66:944–950.
- Miyanaga A, Gemma A, Ando M, et al. E-cadherin expression and epidermal growth factor receptor mutation status predict outcome in non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with gefitinib. Oncol Rep. 2008;19:377–383.
- Shen J, Behrens C, Wistuba II, et al. Identification and validation of differences in protein levels in normal, premalignant, and malignant lung cells and tissues using high-throughput Western Array and immunohistochemistry. Cancer Res. 2006;66:11194–11206.
- Kato Y, Hirano T, Yoshida K, et al. Frequent loss of E-cadherin and/or catenins in intrabronchial lesions during carcinogenesis of the bronchial epithelium. Lung Cancer. 2005;48:323–330.
- Mariotti A, Perotti A, Sessa C, Ruegg C. N-cadherin as a therapeutic target in cancer. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2007;16:451–465.
Source: PubMed