[Expression of integrins in human intestinal carcinoma cells differing in substrate specificity of apoptosis]

A cell population, characterized by a capacity to survive in the absence of cell attachment to a substrate (anoikis-independent cells), was selected from the original anoikis-dependent human gut carcinoma line Caco-2. In cell-adhesion assays, anoikis-independent cells demonstrated much lower affinity to fibronectin compared to their anoikis-dependent counterparts. No differences were found between the cell types in their surface expression of integrins alpha 1 beta 1, alpha 2 beta 1, alpha 3 beta 1, alpha 5 beta 1, and alpha 6 beta 1, while integrins alpha v beta 1 and alpha v beta 3 appeared to be much more actively expressed by the anoikis-dependent population. The procedure we have proposed for obtaining of cell populations having closely similar origination, while differing in anchorage-dependent apoptosis, provides a suitable model for investigation of apoptotis and the role of integrins in its mechanism.