[Association between expression of integrin (VLA-3, VLA-5) and malignancy in human colon-cancer]

The expression of the VLA-integrins beta 1, -2, -3, -5, -6 and alpha v beta 3 was studied immunohistochemically in the tissue sample from human colon-cancer. Furthermore, histological stage-grouping of the colon-cancer (I-V), additional vascular invasion such as lymphatic and blood-vessel invasion, was made to express the malignancy of the carcinoma, for making a comparison with the expression of the integrins. Immunohistologically, beta 1, VLA-2, and alpha v beta 3 were mildly expressed in the carcinoma cells and VLA-6, markedly expressed. These findings were not correlated with the malignant stage-grouping. For VLA-3, the carcinoma showed mild to marked expression with a diffuse distribution on the cell surface in the peripheral area of the carcinoma, nearly correlating with the histological stage of malignancy. While, the expression of VLA-5 was almost absent in the carcinoma. These results suggest that the enhanced expression of VLA-3 with suppressed expression of VLA-5 is functionally important for the carcinoma cell invasion and also for the metastasis.