E-cadherin participates in homophilic cell-to-cell adhesion and is localized to intercellular junctions of the adherens type. In the present study, we investigated the localization of adherens junction components in cells expressing mutant
E-cadherin derivatives which had been previously cloned from diffuse-type gastric
carcinoma. The mutations are in frame deletions of exons 8 or 9 and a point mutation in exon 8 and affect the extracellular domain of
E-cadherin. Our findings indicate that
E-cadherin mutated in exon 8 causes
beta-catenin staining at lateral cell-to-cell contact sites and, in addition, abnormally located
beta-catenin in the perinuclear region. Moreover, the various mutant
E-cadherin derivatives increased the steady-state levels of alpha- and
beta-catenin and were found in association with these
catenins even after induction of
tyrosine phosphorylation by
pervanadate. Sustained
pervanadate treatment led, however, to rounding-up of cells and induction of filopodia, changes which were first detectable in cells expressing
E-cadherin mutated in exon 8. The deterioration of the cell contact was not accompanied with disassembly of the
E-cadherin-
catenin complex. Based on these observations, we propose a model whereby in the presence of mutant
E-cadherin tyrosine phoshorylation of components of the cell adhesion complex triggers loss of cell-to-cell contact and actin cytoskeletal changes which are not caused by the disruption of the
E-cadherin-
catenin complex per se, but instead might be due to phosphorylation of other signaling molecules or activation of
proteins involved in the regulation of the actin cytoskeleton.