[Immunohistochemical study of VLA integrins in human gastric carcinoma]

Using an immunohistochemical technique, we investigated expression of collagen receptor VLA-2 integrin and laminin receptor VLA-6 integrin in human gastric carcinoma. The expression of VLA integrins was compared in carcinoma of each histologic type and invasion/growth pattern. VLA-2 and VLA-6 were expressed more weakly in undifferentiated carcinoma than in non-cancerous epithelium. Non-localized invasion was observed in 89% of undifferentiated carcinoma. In differentiated carcinoma, expression of VLA-2 was weak in the mucosal layer. In the submucosal layer, however, VLA-2 expression was significantly different according to the invasion/growth pattern (p < 0.01); weak expression of VLA-2 in the localized invasion type and strong expression of VLA-2 in the non-localized type. VLA-6 was strongly expressed in the mucosal and submucosal layers of the differentiated carcinoma, regardless of the invasion/growth pattern. The present study suggested that VLA-6 contributed to the histologic type and VLA-2 affected the invasion/growth pattern of the gastric carcinoma in varied manners according to the histologic type.