Laminin receptor on human breast carcinoma cells

Human MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells possess a receptor-like moiety on their surface that has a high binding affinity (Kd = 2 nM) for laminin, a glycoprotein localized in basement membranes. Laminin preferentially stimulates (8-fold) MCF-7 cells to attach to type IV (basement membrane) collagen, whereas fibronectin stimulates attachment only 2-fold for these cells on type I collagen. The attachment properties of two other human breast carcinoma cell lines to type IV collagen were also studied. The attachment of ZR-75-1 cells was stimulated 4-fold by laminin and 5-fold by fibronectin, whereas T47-D cell attachment was stimulated 2-fold by laminin and 7-fold by fibronectin. By employing protease-derived fragments of laminin, the major domains of the laminin molecule that participate in MCF-7 cell attachment to type IV collagen were identified. The whole laminin molecule has the configuration of a four-armed cross with three short arms and one long arm. A major cell-binding domain was found to reside near the intersection point of the short arms, and the type IV collagen-binding domain was associated with the globular end regions of the short arms. The receptor for laminin on the surface of these tumor cells may be involved in the initial interaction of tumor cells via laminin with the vascular basement membrane to facilitate invasion and subsequent promotion of metastasis.