Internalization of the E-cadherin/catenin complex and scattering of human mammary carcinoma cells: MCF-7/AZ after treatment with conditioned medium from human skin squamous carcinoma cells COLO 16

Cytokines and other paracrine or autocrine factors functionally modulate the invasion-suppressor and signal-transducing E-cadherin/catenin complex. We have used conditioned medium from human squamous carcinoma COLO 16 cells (CM COLO 16) as a source of such factors to modulate the E-cadherin/catenin complex in human breast carcinoma MCF-7 cells. CM COLO 16 induces scattering of MCF-7/AZ, but not of MCF-7/6 cells on tissue culture plastic substratum, and reduces aggregation of MCF-7/AZ cells in suspension. Insulin-like growth factor I counteracts this reduction of aggregation. Confocal laser scanning microscopy of immunocytochemical stainings shows loss of the honeycomb pattern of E-cadherin, alpha-catenin and beta-catenin, and internalization of those elements. Cell surface biotinylation shows a decrease in membrane-bound E-cadherin. Immunoprecipitation and cell fractionation show that the composition of the complex is maintained. Interleukin-1, interleukin-6, granulocyte-monocyte colony stimulating factor, stem cell factor, scatter factor/hepatocyte growth factor and transforming growth factor-p, added separately to MCF-7/AZ cells, could not mimic the effects of CM COLO 16. Neither could we find evidence that the 80 kDa extracellular fragment of E-cadherin is implicated in scattering of MCF-7/AZ cells. This fragment is present in CM COLO 16, but it is also produced by the MCF-7/AZ cells themselves, even at higher levels. Our data point toward cytoplasmic internalization induced by paracrine factors as one of the downregulating mechanisms for the E-cadherin/catenin complex.