Journal
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
Volume 148, Issue 1, Pages 173-187Publisher
ROCKEFELLER UNIV PRESS
DOI: 10.1083/jcb.148.1.173
Keywords
cell adhesion; E-cadherin; junctional complexes; polarized epithelium; wnt signaling
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Mouse mammary epithelial cells expressing a fusion protein of c-Fos and the estrogen receptor (FosER) formed highly polarized epithelial cell sheets in the absence of estradiol. beta-Catenin and p120(ctn) were exclusively located at the lateral plasma membrane in a tight complex with the adherens junction protein, E-cadherin. Upon activation of FosER by estradiol addition, cells lost epithelial polarity within two days, giving rise to a uniform distribution of junctional proteins along the entire plasma membrane. Most of the beta-catenin and p120(ctn) remained in a complex with E-cadherin at the membrane, but a minor fraction of uncomplexed cytoplasmic beta-catenin increased significantly. The epithelial-mesenchymal cell conversion induced by prolonged estradiol treatment was accompanied by a complete loss of E-cadherin expression, a 70% reduction in beta-catenin protein level, and a change in the expression pattern of p120(ctn) isoforms, In these mesenchymal cells, beta-catenin and p120(ctn) were localized in the cytoplasm and in defined intranuclear structures. Furthermore, beta-catenin colocalized with transcription factor LEF-1 in the nucleus, and coprecipitated with LEF-1-related proteins from cell extracts, Accordingly, beta-catenin-dependent reporter activity was upregulated in mesenchymal cells and could be reduced by transient expression of exogenous E-cadherin. Thus, epithelial mesenchymal conversion in FosER cells may involve beta-catenin signaling.
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