Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity spreads by initial invasion of the
laminin-rich basement membrane. We examined the adhesion and motility of human oral SCC cells and normal mucosal keratinocytes and found that the SCC cells readily attached and migrated on
laminin 1 substrates but migrated poorly on
collagen type I and
fibronectin. The normal keratinocytes, however, adhered poorly to and were non-motile on
laminin 1 yet readily and preferentially attached and migrated on
fibronectin and
collagen type I. Analysis with blocking anti-
integrin antibodies showed that the SCC cells used the alpha 6 beta 1 complex to attach and migrate on
laminin 1 and that this activity was confined to the E8 long arm fragment of
laminin. Affinity chromatography on
laminin-
Sepharose columns revealed that the SCC cells, but not normal keratinocytes, expressed high levels of the alpha 6 beta 1
laminin 1 receptor. Metabolic pulse-chase analysis indicated that in contrast to the SCC cells, keratinocytes did not have a stable pool of beta 1 subunit precursor. Preferential pairing of alpha 6 with beta 4 and the deficiency in pre-beta 1 levels appear to account for the failure of keratinocytes to form significant alpha 6 beta 1 complex. Additionally, the presence of
laminin 1 in co-coating experiments blocked keratinocyte adhesion to other immobilized
ligands, such as
collagen type I or
fibronectin. This anti-adhesive effect seemed to reflect a
general paralysis of cell adhesive function, since
laminin 1 also diminished the adhesion of keratinocytes to substrates coated with immobilized anti-
integrin subunit antibody. The inhibitory activity of
laminin 1 resided in the E1' and E8 fragments, and not in the E3, E4 or G domains. Collectively, our results indicate that
laminin 1 is a restrictive
ligand for normal keratinocytes, apparently because of their failure to assemble and express the alpha 6 beta 1 complex or other functional
laminin receptors and their sensitivity to the anti-adhesive activity of
laminin itself. The elevated expression of alpha 6 beta 1 following malignant conversion of muscosal keratinocytes promotes their migration on
laminin, a process important during invasion and
metastasis.