MULTIPLE CADHERINS ARE EXPRESSED IN HUMAN FIBROBLASTS

Although the cell-cell adhesiveness of fibroblasts is thought to be re lated to wound healing, the molecular basis of this adhesiveness is st ill unknown. We isolated five kinds of cadherin fragments from the cDN A of human fibroblasts by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Two of the five were known cadherins: PC43, a proto-cadherin containing six cadhe rin repeats in the extracelluar domain, and human Fat, which is the hu man homologue of the Drosophila tumor suppressor Fat. The other three were novel cadherin fragments, and we named them cadherins FIB1, FIB2, and FIB3. The expressions of cadherins including E-, P-, and N-cadher in, PC43, human Fat, and cadherins FIB1, FIB2, and FIBS were compared in human fibroblasts, human melanocytes, and human epidermal keratinoc ytes. The latter six cadherins were expressed in human fibroblasts, an d cadherins FIB1 and FIB2 were fibroblast-specific. These results sugg est that diverse cadherin molecules may contribute to the cell-cell ad hesion in human fibroblasts. (C) 1997 Academic Press.