Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery

Squamous Cell

In squamous cell carcinoma cells cultured in low Ca2+ medium that only allowed the formation of E-cadherin based adhesion inhibiting EGFR resulted in a shift from a fibroblastic to a more epithelial cell phenotype due to the induction of desmosomal assembly This was demonstrated by the expression and recruitment of desmoglein-2 and desmocollin-2 to the cell surface, DECREASES in the phosphorylation of desmogle anplakoglobin and an increase in desmoglein-2 and desmoplakin in the triton-insoluble fraction These effects were specific to desmosomes because EGFR activation had no effect on the phosphorylation states or localization of E-cadherin and -catenin all Carcinoma