Earticle

Porcine embryonic stem-like cells (pESLCs) are able to undifferentiated proliferation and self renewal. However, due to the lack of a system that can effectively culture pESLCs, it is difficult to long-term culture of pESLCs. Integrins composed of α and β subunits and αβ combination are molecular receptor acting on the cell surface when cells are bound to extracellular matrix such as fibronectin and collagen. Integrins regulate function of cells through the inside-out and outside-in signaling regarding motility, survival, differentiation and proliferation of cells. However, there is lack of information on integrins regarding to pESLCs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to confirm the presence of integrins in pESLCs through the integrins screening. Fluorescence immuno assay showed that integrin α1 and α2 were not expressed, whereas, integrin α3, α4, α5, α6, α7, α8, α9, αv and β1 were expressed in pESLCs. Also, fluorescence intensity showed that intensity of integrin α5, α7, and α8 was higher than twice compared to other groups (610.58±26.83; 419.69±13.84; 646.09±4.53; p<0.05), but, integrin α6 was lower intensity than other groups (50.55±2.65; p<0.05). To identify of integrin heteromiders subsequently, we experimented the cell attachment assay. Cultures with 10 μg/mL vitronectin and 60 μg/mL tenascin C showed significantly highest rate compared to controls, indicating the presence of integrin heterodimer α9β1 and αvβ1 on the membranes of pESLCs respectively (p<0.05). Therefore, integrin α3, α4, α5, α6 and α7 exist as subunits and integrin α9β1 and αvβ1 exist as heterodimers in pESLCs.

Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) is the primary cause of visual defect for the most of patients severely suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Recent research on drug delivery to the choroid where CNV originates demonstrates that has limitation on a drug penetrated into the outer retina. The objective of this study was to improve a drug delivery system for an integrin-antagonist peptide to the sub-retinal region. We developed nanoparticles that were fabricated by blending polylactic acid/polylactic acid-polyethylene oxide(PLA/PLA-PEO), and water-soluble integrin-antagonist peptide, C16Y, were encapsulated in nanoparticles(C16Y-NP). The PLA/PLA-PEO nanoparticles were 302 ± 85. 1-sized and continuously released C16Y encapsulated into NPs for over 2 weeks in in vitro. The nanoparticles did not exhibit any retinal toxicity as examined by histopathology. Either C16Y-NPs or C16Y peptide solution were separately injected to rodent models 5 or 9 days post laser photocoagulation. Both intravitreal injections of C16Y peptide and C16Y-NPs statistically suppressed CNV (p<0.05) at 5days and 9 days post laser photocoagulation. In the case of C16Y-NPs injection on day 12, however, the area of choroidal neovascularization on the day 12 was smaller than single injection of C16Y peptide solution (p<0.05) due to the short half-life in vitreous body. The result in this paper indicates that sustained release type of drug delivery is important to treat CNV derived from AMD. The intravitreally administered PLA/PLA-PEO nanoparticles encapsulating coumarin were revealed to penetrate the retina and localize to the RPE. These results propose that nanoparticles fabricated by biodegradable polymers are promising materials as carrier and potential drug delivery system may be established for treatment of AMD.

목적: ILK와 beta-catenin을 통한 세포전달은 여러 악성 질환의 시작과 진행에 있어서 중요하다. ILK는 beta-catenin의 전사를 조절하며 암세포에서 세포 이동 및 침습에 관여한다. 최근에 대장암과 전구 단계인 샘종에서 ILK와 beta-catenin이 발현한다는 연구가 있었다. 이에 저자들은 대장용종에서 육안적 및 병리학적 소견의 차이에 따른 ILK와 beta-catenin의 발현을 알아보았다. 방법: 비악성 질환으로 수술한 6명의 정상 대장 조직(6)과 대장용종절제술로 획득한 용종을 모양에 따라 유경성 용종(Ip, 16), 무경성 용종(Is, 22) 및 측방 발육형 종양(laterally spreading tumor LST, 24)으로 나누었다. 또한 현미경적 소견에 따라 관샘종(TA, 47)과 과형성 용종(HP, 15)으로 나누고 관샘종은 이형성의 정도에 따라 나누었다. 이들 조직에서 ILK와 beta-catenin의 발현을 면역화학염색법으로 비교하였다. 결과: 용종의 육안적 모양에 따라 Ip, Is, LST에서 ILK, beta-catenin의 발현의 차이는 통계적으로 차이가 없었다(p> 0.05). 조직학적으로 ILK, beta-catenin의 발현은 과형성 용종보다 관상 샘종에서 발현이 증가하였다(p<0.05). 관상 샘종에서는 이형성의 정도가 심할수록 ILK와 beta-catenin의 발현이 높았다(p<0.05). 전체 용종에서 ILK의 발현이 높은 용종의 경우에 beta-catenin의 발현이 높은 경우가 많았다(p< 0.01). 결론: 대장용종에서 ILK와 beta-catenin의 발현은 대장용종의 모양에 따른 차이가 없었고, 샘종이 과형성 용종보다 발현이 증가되었고 샘종의 이형성이 심할수록 발현율이 높았다.

Background/Aims: Signaling pathways via integrin-linked kinase (ILK) and β-catenin are important in the initiation and progression of various malignant diseases. ILK modulates the transcription of β-catenin and is implicated in cell migration and invasiveness. Recently, premalignant colon polyps were found to express ILK and β-catenin. Therefore, we investigated the expression of ILK and β-catenin in colon polyps according to the gross morphology and pathologic type. Methods: Based on morphology, colon polyps (62) were classified as being a pedunculated polyp (Ip, 16), sessile polyp (Is, 22), or laterally spreading tumor (LST, 24). The colon polyps were classified pathologically as tubular adenomas (TAs, 47) and hyperplastic polyps (HPs, 15). The expression levels of ILK and β-catenin in colon polyps and normal colon (6) were evaluated with immunohistochemistry. Results: In normal colon, ILK was not expressed, and β-catenin stained in the cell membrane only. Based on the gross morphology of the colon polyps, no significant difference was seen in the expression of ILK and β-catenin (p>0.05). The expression of both ILK and β-catenin in TAs was greater than that in HPs (p<0.01): the greater the dysplasia in TAs, the more both ILK and β-catenin were expressed (p<0.05). The grade of expression of ILK was correlated with that of β-catenin in colon polyps (p<0.01). Conclusions: The expression of ILK and β-catenin did not differ according to the morphology of colon polyps, but was expressed more in TAs than in HPs, especially in severe dysplasia. (Korean J Med 77:315-320, 2009)

Pathophysiological mechanism of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is not fully understood. Major clinical findings of HFRS patients are widespread hemorrhage, acute renal failure and shock. Basic lesion is vascular injury with microvascular hemorrhage and relatively little inflammation. According to autopsy findings, renal medulla shows focal hemorrhage, tubular necrosis and interstitial mononuclear infiltrates. The predominant cell type in the renal and pulmonary interstitium is a fibroblast and it participates in the healing process at the injury site by secreting a large amount of extracellular matrix proteins. Cultured human lung fibroblasts and Mongolian gerbil fibroblasts were known to be good host cells for the hantaan virus. It is possible that not only the endothelial cell but also the fibroblast is a target of Hantaan virus and the fibroblast might be involved in the pathogenesis and the healing process in HFRS. Integrins are adhesion molecules, and act as receptors for many extracellular matrix proteins. Recently, there are many reports that cell surface integrins influence on some viral infections or reversely viruses influence on the expression of integrins. The alpha5beta1 integrin is a major receptor for the fibronectin which is an important extracellular matrix protein secreted by fibroblasts. In this study, the role of alpha5beta1 integrin in the infection of Hantaan virus was examined by using anti-alpha5beta1 integrin, anti-alpha5 integrin and anti-beta1 integrin antibodies in chicken embryo fibroblasts (CEF) and Mongolian gerbil fibroblasts(MGF). The treatment of anti-alpha5beta1 integrin antibody in CEF reduced the virion titers 26.8% and the amount of nucleocapsid N protein 32.6% when compared with control CEF. When MGF were treated with anti-alpha5, anti-beta1 and anti-alpha5beta1 integrin antibodies, virion titers were reduced by 26.5%, 29.4% and 28.7% and the amount of nucleocapsid N protein were reduced by 65.2%, 59.7% and 72.6%. These results suggested that alpha5beta1 integrin might act as a receptor for the Hantaan virus or blocking of alpha5beta1 integrin influences on the viral replication in CEF and MGF. It is also possible that the blocking of only one subunit of integrin represents similar results in that of whole molecule.

배경: 대동맥 판막 경화증은 고령에서 흔히 나타나며, 대동맥 판막 협착증처럼 좌심실 유출로를 폐쇄하지는 않으나 심혈관질환으로의 사망 위험성이 50%나 증가되며, 심근경색증의 위험성이 높다. 그러나, 대동맥 판막경화증에서 ${\beta}_3$ integrin의 관련성은 잘 알려져 있지 않다. 대상 및 방법: 20마리의 뉴질랜드산 토끼들을 2군으로 나눈 후, 1군(10마리)에서는 정상식이를 시행하였고, 2군(10마리)에서는 1% 콜레스테롤식이를 시행하였다. 12주간 식이후 실험동물을 희생시켜 대동맥 판막 및 상행대동맥을 채취하였다. 각군의 토끼들의 혈장에서 총 콜레스테롤, 중성지방, 저밀도(LDL)-콜레스테롤, 고밀도(HDL)-콜레스테롤 수치를 측정하였으며, 대동맥 판막과 대동맥에서 HE 염색을 시행하였고, 대동맥 판막에서 근육섬유모세포, 대식세포에 대한 면역조직화학염색을 시행하였으며, ${\beta}_3$, integrin에 대한 정량적검사를 위하여 Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)을 시행하였다. 결과: 총 콜레스테롤($2148.3{\pm}1012.5\;mg/dL$ versus $53.7{\pm}31.8\;mg/dL$, p<0.05), 중성지방($240.4{\pm}218.3\;mg/dL$ versus $31.6{\pm}6.4\;mg/dL$, p<0.05), 저밀도-콜레스테롤 수치($2,065.3{\pm}960.9\;mg/dL$ versus $29.1{\pm}30.9\;mg/dL$, p<0.05)는 정상식이군과 비교해서 콜레스테롤 식이군에서 의미 있게 증가하였다. 대동맥판막의 면역 조직화학염색에서 근육섬유모세포와 대식세포는 콜레스테롤식이군에서 발현이 증가되었다. RT-PCR을 이용한 정량적 검사에서 ${\beta}_3$ integrin mRNA의 발현은 대동맥판막과 대동맥 모두 콜레스테롤 식이군에서 의미 있게 감소되어 있었다(p<0.05). 결론 : 콜레스테롤식이에 의한 고콜레스테롤혈증은 토끼의 대동맥 판막에서 대동맥 판막경화증을 유발하였다. 석회화 대동맥 판막의 초기 상태인대동맥 판막 경화증은 초기죽상경화병변과 유사한 과정을 보이며, 이는 ${\beta}_3$, integrin의 감소가 중요한 역할을 한다고 생각된다.

Background: Although aortic valve sclerosis causes no significant hemodynamic alterations, it is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular death and myocardial infarction. However, the role of ${\beta}_3$ integrin in aortic valve sclerosis remains unclear. Material and Method: Twenty male New Zealand rabbits were divided into two groups. Group 1 rabbits (n=10) received a normal chow diet, while group 2 (n=10) rabbits received a diet containing 1% cholesterol for 12 weeks. After the rabbits were euthanized, their aortic valves and ascending aortas were excised for analysis. Result: Total serum cholesterol ($2,148.3{\pm}1,012.5\;mg/dL$ versus $53.7{\pm}31.8\;mg/dL$, p<0.05), triglyceride ($240.4{\pm}218.3\;mg/dL$ versus $31.6{\pm}6.4\;mg/dL$, p<0.05), and low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol($2,065.3{\pm}960.9\;mg/dL$ versus $29.1{\pm}30.9\;mg/dL$, p<0.05) levels were significantly higher in the cholesterol diet group compared with the normal diet group. Myofibroblasts and macrophages were more highly expressed in the aortic valve leaflets of rabbits in the cholesterol diet group than of those in the normal diet group. A real-time polymerase chain reaction revealed decreased ${\beta}_3$ integrin mRNA levels in the hypercholesterolemic aortic valves and aortas. Conclusion: The present study shows that hypercholesterolemia induces aortic valve sclerosis. These findings suggest that alterations in ${\beta}_3$ integrin may playa role in the development of aortic valve sclerosis.

Integrin-mediated cell adhesion is important for development, immune responses, hemostasis and wound healing. Integrins also function as signal transducing receptors that can control intracellular pathways that regulate cell survival, proliferation, and cell fate. Conversely, cells can modulate the affinity of integrins for their ligands a process operationally defined as integrin activation. Analysis of activation of integrins has now provided a detailed molecular understanding of this unique form of "inside-out" signal transduction and revealed new paradigms of how transmembrane domains (TMD) can transmit long range allosteric changes in transmembrane proteins. Here, we will review how talin and mediates integrin activation and how the integrin TMD can transmit these inside out signals.

The aim of this study was to elucidate the role of the integrin-linked kinase (ILK) gene in development of human bladder transitional cell carcinoma (BTCC). Expression of ILK protein and ILK mRNA in 56 cases of human BTCC tissue and in 30 cases of adjacent normal bladder tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry S-P and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), respectively. Four specific miRNA RNAi vectors targeting human ILK were synthesized and transfected into BIU-87 cells by liposome to obtain stable expression cell strains. The influence of ILK on proliferation of BTCC was detected by MTT, FCM on athymic mouse tumorigenesis. The positive rate of ILK protein in BTCC tissue (53.6%) was much higher than adjacent normal bladder tissue (10.0%) (p<0.05). Similarly, expression of ILK mRNA in BTCC tissue ($0.540{\pm}0.083$) was significantly higher than in adjacent normal bladder tissue ($0.492{\pm}0.070$) (p<0.05). MTT showed that the proliferation ability of miRNA-ILK transfected group was clearly decreased (p<0.05), the cell cycle being arrested in G0/G1-S, an tumorigenesis in vivo was also significantly reduced (p<0.05). ILK gene transcription and protein expression may be involved in the development of BTCC, so that ILK might be the new marker for early diagnosis and the new target for gene treatment.

Purpose: Heat shock protein-90 (HSP90) remains an important cancer target because of its involvement in multiple oncogenic protein pathways and biologic processes. Although many HSP90 inhibitors have been tested in the treatment of KRAS-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), most, including AUY922, have failed due to toxic effects and resistance generation, even though a modest efficacy has been observed for these drugs in clinical trials. In our present study, we investigated the novel mechanism of resistance to AUY922 to explore possible avenues of overcoming and want to provide some insights that may assist with the future development of successful next-generation HSP90 inhibitors. Materials and methods: We established two AUY922-resistant KRAS-mutated NSCLC cells and conducted RNA sequencing to identify novel resistance biomarker. Results: We identified novel two resistance biomarkers. We observed that both integrin Av (ITGAv) and β3 (ITGB3) induce AUY922-resistance via focal adhesion kinase (FAK) activation, as well as an epithelial-mesenchymal transition, in both in vitro and in vivo xenograft model. mRNAs of both ITGAv and ITGB3 were also found to be elevated in a patient who had shown acquired resistance in a clinical trial of AUY922. ITGAv was induced by miR-142 downregulation, and ITGB3 was increased by miR-150 downregulation during the development of AUY922-resistance. Therefore, miR-150 and miR-142 overexpression effectively inhibited ITGAvB3-dependent FAK activation, restoring sensitivity to AUY922. Conclusion: The synergistic co-targeting of FAK and HSP90 attenuated the growth of ITGAvB3-induced AUY922-resistant KRAS-mutated NSCLC cells in vitro and in vivo, suggesting that this combination may overcome acquired AUY922-resistance in KRAS-mutant NSCLC.

During mycobacteria infection, anti-inflammatory responses allow the host to avoid tissue damage caused by overactivation of the immune system; however, little is known about the negative modulators that specifically control mycobacteria-induced immune responses. Here we demonstrate that integrin CD11b is a critical negative regulator of mycobacteria cord factor-induced macrophage-inducible C-type lectin (Mincle) signaling. CD11b deficiency resulted in hyperinflammation following mycobacterial infection. Activation of Mincle by mycobacterial components turns on not only the Syk signaling pathway but also CD11b signaling and induces formation of a Mincle?CD11b signaling complex. The activated CD11b recruits Lyn, SIRPα and SHP1, which dephosphorylate Syk to inhibit Mincle-mediated inflammation. Furthermore, the Lyn activator MLR1023 effectively suppressed Mincle signaling, indicating the possibility of Lyn-mediated control of inflammatory responses. These results describe a new role for CD11b in fine-tuning the immune response against mycobacterium infection.

We have previously demonstrated that in response to cerebral ischemia (CI), the growth factor angiopoietin-1 (Ang1) and α5β1 integrin are both induced in cerebral vessels, which likely provide positive signals driving the endogenous angiogenic response and vascular protection after CI. However, the precise relationship between endothelial Ang1 and α5β1 integrin after CI remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the effects of the interaction between the Ang1/Tie2 system and α5β1 integrin on brain endothelial cells (BECs) under cerebral ischemic conditions in vivo and in vitro. Immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated that integrin α5β1 co-localized with Tie2/phosphorylated Tie2 on cerebral vessels in the penumbra. The in vitro study showed that oxygen?glucose deprivation/restoration (OGD/R) induced the expression of the Ang1 receptor Tie2 on BECs in a manner similar to that for integrin α5 and Ang1 in response to OGD/R, accompanied by increased activation of Tie2 and its downstream effectors focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and Akt. Knockdown of α5 integrin markedly suppressed OGD/R-induced Tie2 receptor activation in BECs, while in contrast, priming BECs with Ang1 promoted the expression of α5 integrin as well as the Tie2 downstream transcription factor Ets-1 in OGD-treated BECs. In line with this, Ets-1 knockdown significantly attenuated Ang1- mediated upregulation of α5 integrin. Functionally, Ang1 induced cell migration and tube formation of BECs after OGD, but this effect was inhibited by diminishment of the levels of α5 integrin in BECs. Taken together, our data indicate that the Ang1/Tie2 system cross-talks with integrin α5β1 in BECs after CI, which may contribute to the endogenous angiogenic vascular protective response following CI.

Tissue fibrosis, characterized by excessive accumulation of aberrant extracellular matrix (ECM) produced by myofibroblasts, is a growing cause of mortality worldwide. Understanding the factors that induce myofibroblastic differentiation is paramount to prevent or reverse the fibrogenic process. Integrin-mediated interaction between the ECM and cytoskeleton promotes myofibroblast differentiation. In the present study, we explored the significance of integrin alpha 11 (ITGA11), the integrin alpha subunit that selectively binds to type I collagen during tissue fibrosis in the liver, lungs and kidneys. We showed that ITGA11 was co-localized with α-smooth muscle actin-positive myofibroblasts and was correlatively induced with increasing fibrogenesis in mouse models and human fibrotic organs. Furthermore, transcriptome and protein expression analysis revealed that ITGA11 knockdown in hepatic stellate cells (liver-specific myofibroblasts) markedly reduced transforming growth factor β-induced differentiation and fibrotic parameters. Moreover, ITGA11 knockdown dramatically altered the myofibroblast phenotype, as indicated by the loss of protrusions, attenuated adhesion and migration, and impaired contractility of collagen I matrices. Furthermore, we demonstrated that ITGA11 was regulated by the hedgehog signaling pathway, and inhibition of the hedgehog pathway reduced ITGA11 expression and fibrotic parameters in human hepatic stellate cells in vitro, in liver fibrosis mouse model in vivo and in human liver slices ex vivo. Therefore, we speculated that ITGA11 might be involved in fibrogenic signaling and might act downstream of the hedgehog signaling pathway. These findings highlight the significance of the ITGA11 receptor as a highly promising therapeutic target in organ fibrosis.

Chronic neuroinflammation is an integral pathological feature of major neurodegenerative diseases. The recruitment of microglia to affected brain regions and the activation of these cells are the major events leading to disease-associated neuroinflammation.In a previous study, we showed that neuron-released a-synuclein can activate microglia through activating the Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) pathway, resulting in proinflammatory responses. However, it is not clear whether other signaling pathways are involved in the migration and activation of microglia in response to neuron-released a-synuclein. In the current study, wedemonstrated that TLR2 activation is not sufficient for all of the changes manifested by microglia in response to neuronreleased a-synuclein. Specifically, the migration of and morphological changes in microglia, triggered by neuron-released a-synuclein, did not require the activation of TLR2, whereas increased proliferation and production of cytokines were strictly under the control of TLR2. Construction of a hypothetical signaling network using computational tools and experimental validation with various peptide inhibitors showed that b1-integrin was necessary for both the morphological changes and the migration. However, neither proliferation nor cytokine production by microglia was dependent on the activation of b1-integrin. These results suggest that b1-integrin signaling is specifically responsible for the recruitment of microglia to the diseaseaffected brain regions, where neurons most likely release relatively high levels of a-synuclein.

Steroid sulfatase (STS) is an enzyme responsible for the hydrolysis of aryl and alkyl sulfates. STS plays a pivotal role in the regulation of estrogens and androgens that promote the growth of hormone-dependent tumors, such as those of breast or prostate cancer. However, the molecular function of STS in tumor growth is still not clear. To elucidate the role of STS in cancer cell proliferation, we investigated whether STS is able to regulate the integrin signaling pathway. We found that overexpression of STS in HeLa cells increases the protein and mRNA levels of integrin ${\beta}1$ and fibronectin, a ligand of integrin ${\alpha}5{\beta}1$. Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), one of the main metabolites of STS, also increases mRNA and protein expression of integrin ${\beta}1$ and fibronectin. Further, STS expression and DHEA treatment enhanced phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) at the Tyr 925 residue. Moreover, increased phosphorylation of ERK at Thr 202 and Tyr 204 residues by STS indicates that STS activates the MAPK/ERK pathway. In conclusion, these results suggest that STS expression and DHEA treatment may enhance MAPK/ERK signaling through up-regulation of integrin ${\beta}1$ and activation of FAK.

Despite recent groundbreaking advances in multiple myeloma (MM) treatment, most MM patients ultimately experience relapse, and the relapse biology is not entirely understood. To define altered gene expression in MM relapse, gene expression profiles were examined and compared among 16 MM patients grouped by 12 months progression-free survival (PFS) after autologous stem cell transplantation. To maximize the difference between prognostic groups, patients at each end of the PFS spectrum (the four with the shortest PFS and four with the longest PFS) were chosen for additional analyses. We discovered that integrin-${\alpha}8$ (ITGA8) is highly expressed in MM patients with early relapse. The integrin family is well known to be involved in MM progression; however, the role of integrin-${\alpha}8$ is largely unknown. We functionally overexpressed integrin-${\alpha}8$ in MM cell lines, and surprisingly, stemness features including $HIF1{\alpha}$, VEGF, OCT4, and Nanog, as well as epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related phenotypes, including N-cadherin, Slug, Snail and CXCR4, were induced. These, consequently, enhanced migration and invasion abilities, which are crucial to MM pathogenesis. Moreover, the gain of integrin-${\alpha}8$ expression mediated drug resistance against melphalan and bortezomib, which are the main therapeutic agents in MM. The cBioPortal genomic database revealed that ITGA8 have significant tendency to co-occur with PDGFRA and PDGFRB and their mRNA expression were up-regulated in ITGA8 overexpressed MM cells. In summary, integrin-${\alpha}8$, which was up-regulated in MM of early relapse, mediates EMT-like phenotype, enhancing migration and invasion; therefore, it could serve as a potential marker of MM relapse and be a new therapeutic target.

Gastric carcinoma is a leading cause of cancer death in the world and multi-drug resistance (MDR) is an essential aspect of gastric carcinoma chemotherapy failure. Recent studies have shown that integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is involved in metastasis of human tumors, expression silencing of ILK inhibiting the metastasis of several types of cultured human cancer cells. However, the role and potential mechanism of ILK to reverse the multi-drug resistance in human gastric carcinoma is not fully clear. In this report, we focused on roles of expression silencing of ILK in multi-drug resistance reversal of human gastric carcinoma SGC7901/DDP cells, including increased drug sensitivity to cisplatin, cell apoptosis rates, and intracellular accumulation of Rhodamine-123, and decreased mRNA and protein expression of multi-drug resistance gene (MDR1), multi-drug resistance-associated protein (MRP1), excision repair cross-complementing gene 1 (ERCC1), glutathione S-transferase -${\pi}$ (GST-${\pi}$) and RhoE, and transcriptional activation of AP-1 and NF-${\kappa}B$ in ILK silenced SGC7901/DDP cells. We also found that there was a decreased level of p-Akt and p-ERK. The results indicated that ILK might be used as a potential therapeutic strategy to combat multi-drug resistance through blocking PI3K-Akt and MAPK-ERK pathways in human gastric carcinoma.

Objective : The extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell adhesion molecules play crucial roles in angiogenesis, apoptosis, thrombosis, and inflammation, and also contribute to the pathogenesis of stroke. Integrin, alpha 6 (ITGA6) is a member of ECM adhesion receptors. We investigated whether two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (rs11895564, Ala380Thr; rs2293649, Asp694Asp) of ITGA6 were associated with the development and clinical phenotypes of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and ischemic stroke (IS). Methods : We enrolled 199 stroke (78 ICH and 121 IS) and 291 control subjects. Stroke patients were divided into subgroups according to the scores of the National Institutes of Health Stroke Survey (NIHSS, <6 and ${\geq}6$) and Modified Barthel Index (MBI, <60 and ${\geq}60$). SNPStats, SNPAnalyzer, and Helixtree programs were used to calculate odds ratios, 95% confidence intervals, and p values. Multiple logistic regression models were used to analyze genetic data. Results : A missense SNP rs11895564 was associated with the development of ICH (p=0.026 in codominant2, p=0.013 in recessive, p=0.02 in log-additive models; p=0.041 in allele distributions). The A allele frequency of rs11895564 was higher in the ICH group (13.5%) than in the control group (8.1%). In the clinical phenotypes, rs11895564 and rs2293649 showed significant associations in the MBI scores of IS (p=0.014 in codominant1 model; p=0.02 in allele distributions) and NIHSS scores of ICH (p=0.017 in codominant2, p=0.035 in recessive, p=0.035 in log-additive models), respectively. Conclusion : These results suggest that ITGA6 may be associated with the development and clinical phenotypes of stroke in Korean population.

This review explored the mechanism of breast carcinoma progression by focusing on integrins and receptor tyrosine kinases (or growth factor receptors). While the primary role of integrins was previously thought to be solely as mediators of adhesive interactions between cells and extracellular matrices, it is now believed that integrins also regulate signaling pathways that control cancer cell growth, survival, and invasion. A large body of evidence suggests that the cooperation between integrin and receptor tyrosine kinase signaling regulates certain signaling functions that are important for cancer progression. Recent developments on the crosstalk between integrins and receptor tyrosine kinases, and its implication in mammary tumor progression, are discussed.

서론 : Laminin의 수용기로 알려진 Integrin $\alpha6\beta4$의 세포내 표현 정도는 편평상피암을 위시한 여러 악성종양의 전이능력 및 예후와 밀접한 상관관계가 없다고 알려져 있다. 이 Integrin은 Laminin과 같은 세포와 리간드와 결합하면 상피세포의 기저막 지주 구조물인 hemidesmosome의 세포체질 요소(cytoskeletal element)와 연관되어 그 결과 세포의 기저막과 세포내 케라틴을 연결하는 역할을 한다. Integrin $\alpha6\beta4$는 구조적으로 다른 많은 integrin들과 달리 $\beta$4의 세포질내 영역(cytoplasmic domain)이 특징적으로 크다. 이 세포질내 영역 $\beta$4 integrin의 기능은 아직 밝혀지지 않고 있으나 아마 세포 성장의 신호전달 및 악성종양의 특징인 침윤 전이에 관련할 것으로 보아지고 있다. 재료 및 방법: 저자들은 우선 $\beta$4 integrin의 wild type s-DNA와 $\beta$4 세포질내 영역(cytoplasmic domain) 및 $\beta$4의 tyrosine 인산화 반응 부위가 각각 결손된 c-DNA를 PCR을 통하여 합성하여 pRc/CMV 벡터에 삽입한 후 원래 $\beta$4 integrin의 발현이 결집된 인간 방광암 세포에 Calcium phosphate precipitation 방법으로 주입(transfection)시켜 형질변환된 세포를 면역형광법, Flow cytometry 및 Immunoprecipitation 방법으로 클로닝하여 wild type $\beta$4-full length(Clone FL), truncated $\beta$4-cytoplasmic domain(C1one CD), 및 mutated $\beta$4-tyrosine phosphorylation site (Clone M)을 얻었다. 암 세포의 부착 및 침투 능력의 기능적 연구로 모노 클로날 항체와 fibronectin, laminin, Matrigel을 단백질 기질로 사용하였으며 결과 비교를 위하여 pRc/CMV 벡터만 주입시켰던 클로운과 방광암 세포주를 $\beta$4 integrin 음성 대조군으로 또한 이 Integrin의 높은 발현을 보이는 두경부 편평상피암 세포주를 양성 대조군으로 이용하였다. 결과 : 세포부착능력에 있어서 온전한 $\beta$4 cytoplasmic domain이 존재하는 클로운이 laminin에 강한 부착능력을 보였으나 fibronectin의 부착정도는 $\beta$4 integrin의 표현정도와 관계없이 모든 클로운에서 비슷하였다. Matrigel을 투과하는 암세포 침윤 능력에서는 $\beta$4 integrin의 표현이 존재하는 클로운들이 투과 능력이 높았으나 세포외 리간드가 없는 control membrane을 사용하였을 때와 비교하여 투과능력의 차이를 보이지 않았다. 결론 : 유전자 주입(transfection) 방법으로 integrin의 다양한 클로운의 합성이 가능하여 이 Integrin의 암 세포의 부착 및 침투 능력에서의 기능을 규명 할 수 있게 한다. $\beta$4 integrin은 편평상피 암세포의 부착에 있어서 세포외 리간드 laminin과 특이 결합하여 부착 능력을 높이는 중요한 역할을 하며 편평상피 암세포의 침투에 있어서는 $\beta$4 integrin의 표현이 침투 능력을 높이는 역할을 하나 이때에는 laminin과 같은 리간드와의 특이 결합에 의존하지는 않는 것으로 사료된다.