Loss of VLA-2 collagen receptor in breast carcinoma, facilitating invasion and metastasis.
The integrin VLA-2 as a collagen receptor and VLA-5 as a fibronectin receptor were detected immunohistochemically in normal, benign tumor and carcinoma tissues of the breast. Both proteins were also detected by Western-blot analysis in some carcinoma cases. Epithelial and myoepithelial cells of both normal breast and benign tumor were in all cases immunoreactive for VLA-2 in the plasma membrane. Carcinoma cells in the invasive component were not immunoreactive for VLA-2 in 31 (46%) of 67 cases. Carcinoma cells in the intraductal components were negative for VLA-2 in only 4 (11%) of 36 cases, while 20 cases (56%) showed weak expression and 12 cases (33%) showed strong expression. Metastatic carcinoma cells in the lymph nodes of 6 cases showed no immunoreactivity except in one case, whereas, again with the exception of one case, the carcinoma cells in the primary tumors did show VLA-2 expression. With regard to VLA-5, there was no difference in its expression in the invasive components and the intraductal components. These findings suggest that the loss of VLA-2 plays a role in the invasion and metastasis of breast carcinoma.
Second Department of Pathology, Hiroshima University School of Medicine.
K
K
Arihiro
K
K
Inai
K
K
Kurihara
S
S
Takeda
M
M
Kaneko
K
K
Kuroi
T
T
Toge
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001940:Breast / Q000737:chemistry*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D002285:Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005348:Fibrocystic Breast Disease / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000032:analysis*; D038981:Receptors, Collagen; D017469:Receptors, Fibronectin / Q000032:analysis*; D016029:Receptors, Very Late Antigen / Q000032:analysis*
D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D038981:Receptors, Collagen; D017469:Receptors, Fibronectin; D016029:Receptors, Very Late Antigen