Members of the integrin family of cell adhesion receptors influence several important aspects of cancer cell behaviour, including motility and invasiveness, cell growth and cell survival. β1C integrin, an alternatively spliced variant of the human β1 integrin, has been shown to inhibit cell proliferation. We have previously demonstrated that β1C integrin mRNA and protein are present in normal prostate and are down-regulated in prostate adenocarcinoma. To explore some of the molecular mechanisms regulating β1C integrin gene expression, we have analysed the transcriptional activity of the β1 integrin gene in neoplastic and normal human prostate tissue. Run-on analysis demonstrates that the transcription rate of the β1 integrin gene is significantly reduced in prostate cancer specimens compared to normal prostate, thus accounting for the reduction in mRNA levels of the β1 integrin variants. Moreover, the decrease in transcriptional activity of the β1 integrin gene directly correlates to the reduction of β1C integrin steady-state mRNA levels (r=0.78).

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