To detect the differences in the expression levels of protein and mRNA of E-cadherin and β-eatenin in primary tumor and lymph node metastatic tumor of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and to investigate the mechanism of invasion and metastasis of neoplastic cell in NPC. Methods: 21 biopsies taken from primary tumor and another 21 biopsies from lymph node metastatic tumor of NPC were collected from the affiliated hospitals of Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences during 1999 2002. Western blotting assay, immunohistoehemieal staining and reverse transeriptase-polymeraes chain reaction (RT-PCR) were adopted to detect the expression levels of protein and mRNA of E-eadherin and β-eatenin in all of 42 samples. Results: (1) In 21 eases of lymph node metastatic tumor, the protein expression level of E-eadherin was lower detected by immunohistoehemieal staining (50% in average) and Western blotting (Rh 65±15.9 in average) than that in primary tumor of NPC (80% and 206.7+32.7 in average respectively). Furthermore, mRNA expression level of E-eadherin was also lower in metastatic tumor than that in primary tumor, with the difference being significant (P0.05). (3) There was no correlation between neoplastic cell expression of β-eatenin and E-eadherin either in primary tumor or in lymph node metastatic tumors. Conclusion: Down-regulation of the expression of E-eadherin may play a critical role in neoplastic cell invasion and metastasis in NPC.
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