title: Contributions of the alpha6 integrins to breast carcinoma survival and progression.
abstract: This review summarizes recent findings that support a key role for the alpha6 integrins (alpha6beta1 and alpha6beta4) in the progression of breast carcinoma. The hypothesis that emerges from the existing data is that both of these integrins have the ability to sustain the survival of breast carcinoma cells, especially in stress conditions such as those that exist in the tumor microenvironment. The mechanisms by which these integrins promote survival appear to involve their ability to regulate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), either at the level of transcription or translation. VEGF produced by breast carcinoma cells in response to alpha6 integrin regulation can function in an autocrine manner to promote survival signaling.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cancer Biology and Angiogenesis, Department of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. jchung1@bidmc.harvard.edu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Arthur M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mercurio
mesh_terms: D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051793:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D039121:Integrin alpha6beta1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D039161:Integrin alpha6beta4 / Q000378:metabolism*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D015996:Survival Rate; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D014157:Transcription Factors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C497442:HIF1A protein, human; D051793:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D039121:Integrin alpha6beta1; D039161:Integrin alpha6beta4; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D011494:Protein Kinases; C546842:MTOR protein, human; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases