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The relationship between bone metastasis from human breast cancer and integrin alpha(v)beta3 expression
Shin Takayama1, Seiichiro Ishii, Tadashi Ikeda
1Department of Surgery, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan. stakayam@sc.itc.keio.ac.jp
Background:
Osteoclast activation plays an essential role in the development of bone metastasis (BM). Integrin alpha(v)beta3 mediates the attachment of osteoclasts to bone matrix, and it is overexpressed in bone-residing breast cancer cells. We studied BM from breast cancer in relation to its Integrin alpha(v)beta3 expression.
Materials And Methods:
Integrin alpha(v)beta3 expression in 4 human breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-435, MKL-4 and T-47D) was determined by immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry and reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Results:
Integrin alpha(v)beta3 was expressed in MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-435, but not in MKL-4 or T-47D, using both immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. By RT-PCR, positive bands for both alpha(v) and beta3 subunits were identified in MDA-MB-231 and 435, while only the alpha(v) subunit mRNA was present in MKL-4 and T-47D. BM was common in vivo following inoculation with MDA-MB-231 or 435, but not with MKL-4.
Conclusion:
Integrin alpha(v)beta3 expression appears to play a key role in the development of BM from breast cancer.
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