Altered Distribution of -Catenin, and Its Binding

pression was more closely linked to E-cadherin alterations in UC-related cancers than in sporadic cancers. In contrast, abnormal #-catenin expression was more closely linked to APC alterations in sporadic cancers than in UCrelated cancers. These data suggest that alterations of the #-catenin pathway are important in both UC-related and sporadic colorectal cancers. However, differences in the expression patterns of #-catenin, E-cadherin, and APC between UCrelated and sporadic colorectal cancers suggest that the specific alterations in this pathway may differ in these two cancer groups. KEY WORDS: APC, #-catenin, Colorectal cancer, E-cadherin, Immunohistochemistry, Ulcerative colitis. Mod Pathol 2001;14(1):29--39 #-catenin is a multifunctional protein that is involved in cell-- cell interaction and transcriptional signaling (1--5). #-catenin expression is largely regulated by its two major binding partners, E-cadherin on the membrane and the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) protein i