Higher Integrin Alpha 3 Beta1 Expression in Papillary Thyroid Cancer Is Associated with Worst Outcome (original) (raw)

Simple Summary Integrins are cell-extracellular matrix adhesion molecules considered functionally related to the development of cancer metastasis. Starting from a large dataset of mRNA-seq of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), we investigated the potential role of integrins in the clinical course of PTC patients. Results showed that the PTC “classical” and “tall cell” histology variants display a more similar integrin expression profile with respect to the ‘follicular’ variant. Interestingly, the BRAFV600E mutation was found to be associated with a higher expression of integrins compared to RAS mutations. The integrin subunit ITGA3 was associated with advanced disease stage, lymph node metastasis, extrathyroidal extension, high-risk, and a worst prognosis. In vitro assays with PTC cell lines demonstrated the role of the α3β1 integrin in cell motility and invasion, evidence that supports the role of this adhesion molecule in tumor progression. These results demonstrate the existence ...