Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 30, 2026

Author Spotlight: Establishing CENP-E Knockout HeLa Cells – A Novel Approach to Study Kinesin-7 CENP-E Biology and its Inhibitors
Published on: June 23, 2023
Knockout of alpha6 beta1-integrin expression reverses the transformed phenotype of hepatocarcinoma cells
V Carloni1, R G Romanelli, A M Mercurio
1Istituto di Medicina Interna, Universita' di Firenze, Firenze, Italy.
Background & Aims:
Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common complication in liver cirrhosis. The integrin alpha6 beta1, a receptor for the laminin family of extracellular matrix proteins, has been found to be overexpressed in hepatocarcinoma. In an effort to further characterize the involvement of alpha6 beta1-integrin in hepatocarcinoma progression and to study alpha6 beta1-mediated functions, a human hepatocarcinoma cell line, HepG2, that express high surface levels of alpha6 beta1 and uses only this integrin to mediate adhesion on laminin was identified.
Methods:
To assess the role of alpha6 beta1 in these cells, a cytoplasmic domain deletion mutant of the beta4-integrin subunit by complementary DNA transfection was expressed. The expression of the mutant beta4 subunit in association with endogenous alpha6 showed a dominant-negative effect on alpha6 beta1 expression.
Results:
Stable transfectants of HepG2 that expressed the mutant beta4 subunit showed a reduced ability to adhere and migrate on laminin matrices and to invade Matrigel. Furthermore, transfected cells showed significantly lower growth rates and reduced anchorage-independent growth compared with mock-transfected cells.
Conclusions:
These findings on the expression and function of alpha6 beta1 in hepatocarcinoma cells emphasize the potential contribution of this laminin receptor in the neoplastic transformation of hepatocytes.
More Related Videos
08:33Three Dimensional Cultures: A Tool To Study Normal Acinar Architecture vs. Malignant Transformation Of Breast Cells
Published on: April 25, 2014
09:34Identification of Growth Inhibition Phenotypes Induced by Expression of Bacterial Type III Effectors in Yeast
Published on: March 30, 2010
Related Concept Videos
Integrins
Some ECM proteins assemble into a basement membrane to which the remaining components adhere. Proteoglycans typically form the bulk of the ECM while fibrous proteins, like collagen,...
Activation of Integrins
In "outside-in signaling," external factors in the extracellular space bind to exposed ligand binding sites on integrins. This causes the inactive protein to undergo a conformational change to become active. Integrins are often clustered on the cell membrane. Repetitive and regularly spaced ligand binding...
Bacterial Transformation
Griffith made an unexpected discovery when he killed the pathogenic strain and mixed its remains with the live, non-pathogenic strain. Not only did the mixture kill host mice, but it also contained living pathogenic bacteria that...
Cell Specific Gene Expression
Cell Specific Gene Expression
Transformers
The iron core has a substantial relative permeability. Therefore, the magnetic field lines generated due to the current in one winding are almost entirely confined within the core, such that the same magnetic flux permeates each turn of both...