Expression of E‐cadherin in oral cancer cell lines and its relationship to invasiveness in SCID mice in vivo

Abstract We examined the expression of E-cadherin in nine oral cancer cell lines. HSC-4, NA, ZA, HOC927 and Ca9-22 cells strongly expressed E-cadherin [E-CD(++) cell line] and HSC-2 and HSC-3 cells weakly expressed E-cadherin [E-CD(+) cell line]. All the cell lines that expressed E-cadherin were of cuboidal morphology and formed cobblestone colonies. In contrast, TSU and HOC313 cells had spindle shapes, formed dispersed colonies, and were completely negative for E-cadherin [E-CD(-) cell line]. Moreover, all cell lines that expressed E-cadherin showed tumorgenicity in SCID mice, but E-CD(-) cell lines did not show tumorgenicity. The tumors derived from E-CD(+) cell lines invaded deeper into the connective tissues than those from E-CD(++) cell lines. In immunohistochemical analysis, the difference was more marked at the edges of the cancer nests. These results suggest that E-cadherin expression was relevant to the cell forms and the differential grade of cultured cells and that reduced E-cadherin in oral cancer may be associated with invasiveness in vivo.