Integrin α6β4 is a known tumor antigen; however, its function in different subtypes of thyroid cancer is not known. This study reports that α6β4 expression is selectively up-regulated in anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) cells, the most malignant subtype of human thyroid cancer.

To assess the contribution of α6β4 in ATC progression, cell proliferation, motility and soft agar assay were performed in vitro and a xenograft tumor growth assay was performed in vivo.

Knockdown of β4 integrin subunit expression by shRNA in ATC cells reduced the proliferation, migration, and anchorage-independent growth of ATC cells in vitro and xenograft tumor growth in vivo.

These data suggest that integrin α6β4 contributes to the development of aggressive forms of thyroid cancer with poor prognostic potential, such as ATC, and thus may be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment for this subtype of thyroid cancer.

PMID: 21115897 [PubMed - in process] Source: National Library of Medicine.