Fate of E-cadherin in early RPE cultures: transient accumulation of truncated peptides at nonjunctional sites

The results suggest that in RPE cells posttranscriptional mechanisms involving altered protein processing and rapid turnover exist to limit E-cadherin accumulation. The consequence may be to limit E-cadherin-specific inductive properties in the RPE, a cell type in which N-cadherin is the normal dominant cadherin.

RPE cell lines hTERT-RPE1 and ARPE-19 and RPE cultures established from human donors were analyzed within 48 hours after plating for E-cadherin gene and protein expression (by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively) and for protein distribution (by immunofluorescence and immuno-electron microscopy), including codistribution with markers for organelles. Cell surface localization was analyzed by biotinylation and trypsin cleavage of extracellular cadherin domains.

E-cadherin is known to accumulate variably and slowly at junctions of cultured human RPE cells. The intent of this investigation was to determine what limits E-cadherin protein accumulation in RPE cells by analyzing cultures at early postplating intervals when junctions of the dominant cadherin (N-cadherin) are first forming.

The E-cadherin gene was constitutively expressed by RPE cultures, but the protein did not accumulate substantially in early RPE cultures. Instead small amounts of newly synthesized E-cadherin were detectable only transiently, peaking within a few hours after plating, at which time the protein was in the form of peptides of variable size rather the predicted 120-kDa molecular mass. Immunoreactive E-cadherin peptides did not traffic to the cell surface and localize to junctions. Rather they codistributed with several organelles including the endoplasmic reticulum (ER; but not the Golgi), sites of protein degradation (proteasomes, lysosomes, and autophagosomes) and unusual compartments (centrosomes and apposed to subdomains of the mitochondrial network). Conclusions: The results suggest that in RPE cells posttranscriptional mechanisms involving altered protein processing and rapid turnover exist to limit E-cadherin accumulation. The consequence may be to limit E-cadherin-specific inductive properties in the RPE, a cell type in which N-cadherin is the normal dominant cadherin.