Metastasis of cancer cells to sites distant from the primary tumor is the leading cause of cancer-related death, and there is growing evidence that platelets aid the dissemination of cancer cells. In this issue of JCI Insight, Pierre Henri Mangin and colleagues at the Etablissement Français du Sang-Alsace have shown that a molecule expressed on platelets, known as α6β1 integrin, participates in tumor metastasis by promoting interactions between tumor cells and platelets. Compared to control animals, mice lacking α6β1 integrin specifically on platelets exhibited decreased lung metastasis after injection of tumor cells intravenously or into the mammary fat pad. Mangin and colleagues determined that the tumor cell protein ADAM9 binds platelet α6β1 integrin to promote platelet activation and tumor cell extravasation. Importantly, antibody-mediated blockade of α6β1 integrin inhibited tumor metastasis in murine models of breast cancer and melanoma. These findings suggest that disruption of tumor/platelet interactions could prevent metastasis.
TITLE:
Platelet integrin α6β1 controls lung metastasis through direct binding to cancer cell-derived ADAM9
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AUTHOR CONTACT:
Pierre Henri Mangin
Université de Strasbourg, Etablissement Français du Sang-Alsace (EFS-Alsace)
Email: Pierre.Mangin@efs.sante.fr
View this article at: http://insight.jci.org/articles/view/88245?key=6dfacd2b29ec14f2ebd8
JCI Insight is the newest publication from the American Society of Clinical Investigation, a nonprofit honor organization of physician-scientists. JCI Insight is dedicated to publishing a range of translational biomedical research with an emphasis on rigorous experimental methods and data reporting. All articles published in JCI Insight are freely available at the time of publication. For more information about JCI Insight and all of the latest articles go to http://www.insight.jci.org.
Journal
JCI Insight