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2751826 
Journal Article 
T-cadherin supports angiogenesis and adiponectin association with the vasculature in a mouse mammary tumor model 
Hebbard, LW; Garlatti, M; Young, LJ; Cardiff, RD; Oshima, RG; Ranscht, B 
2008 
Yes 
Cancer Research
ISSN: 0008-5472
EISSN: 1538-7445 
68 
5 
1407-1416 
English 
18316604 
T-cadherin delineates endothelial, myoepithelial, and ductal epithelial cells in the normal mouse mammary gland, and becomes progressively restricted to the vasculature during mammary tumorigenesis. To test the function of T-cadherin in breast cancer, we inactivated the T-cadherin (Cdh13) gene in mice and evaluated tumor development and pathology after crossing the mutation into the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-polyoma virus middle T (PyV-mT) transgenic model. We report that T-cadherin deficiency limits mammary tumor vascularization and reduces tumor growth. Tumor transplantation experiments confirm the stromal role of T-cadherin in tumorigenesis. In comparison with wild-type MMTV-PyV-mT controls, T-cadherin-deficient tumors are pathologically advanced and metastasize to the lungs. T-cadherin is a suggested binding partner for high molecular weight forms of the circulating, fat-secreted hormone adiponectin. We discern adiponectin in association with the T-cadherin-positive vasculature in the normal and malignant mammary glands and report that this interaction is lost in the T-cadherin null condition. This work establishes a role for T-cadherin in promoting tumor angiogenesis and raises the possibility that vascular T-cadherin-adiponectin association may contribute to the molecular cross-talk between tumor cells and the stromal compartment in breast cancer.