alpha v beta 6 integrin in wound healing and cancer of the oral cavity

Integrins are a family of heterodimeric cell surface receptors, which are expressed on most cells where they mediate cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions. The alpha v beta 6 integrin is epithelial-specific and binds to the ECM proteins fibronectin, vitronectin and tenascin, and also to the latency associated peptide of TGF-beta. Unlike most epithelial integrins, alpha v beta 6 is not expressed constitutively by healthy oral epithelia, but is up-regulated during tissue remodelling, including that accompanying wound healing and carcinogenesis. Although, the data at present have been generated principally from in vitro studies, there is increasing evidence to suggest that alpha v beta 6 may promote carcinoma progression: alpha v beta 6 has been shown to modulate invasion, inhibit apoptosis, regulate protease expression and activate TGF-beta 1. This review examines the current literature, and discusses the possible role of alpha v beta 6 in wound healing, and in the development and progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma.