[Adhesion molecules and cancer metastasis].

Integrins are the major family of cell surface receptors that mediate adhesion to the extracellular matrix and sometimes cell-cell adhesive interactions. These integrin-mediated adhesive interactions are involved in the regulation of many cellular functions, including embryonic development, tumor cell growth and metastasis, programmed cell death, hemostasis, inflammation, immune reaction, bone reabsorption, etc. Integrins are composed of alpha and beta transmembrane subunits selected from among 16 alpha and 8 beta subunits that heterodimerize to produce more than 20 different receptors which bind specific ligands. Integrins link to intracellular cytoskeletal complexes and bundles of actin filaments. There have been many reports about intracellular signaling pathways activated by integrin-ligand interactions. Integrin may play an important role in tumor metastasis through its interaction with extracellular matrix and endothelial cell. We have examined the role of each integrin in tumor metastasis by using transfection of integrin cDNA into various cells. Transfection of integrin alpha 2 subunit into RD cells, human rhabdomyosarcoma cells which do not express integrin alpha 2 beta 1, potentiated the frequency of metastases in various organs; lung, bone, adrenal gland, lymphnode. alpha 4-transfectant of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, which do not have alpha 4 beta 1 on the cell surface, metastasized to bone through its interaction with VCAM-1 in the bone marrow stroma cells. On the other hand, alpha 5-transfectant of CHO cells was much less tumorigenic than parent CHO cells. These data suggest integrin influence tumor metastasis sometimes favorably and sometimes unfavorably according to the activity and the balance of various integrins.