Integrin β1 is an essential factor in vasculogenic mimicry of human cancer cells.

Vasculogenic mimicry (VM) formation by cancer cells is known to play a crucial role in tumor progression, but its detailed mechanism is unclear. In the present study, we focused on integrin β1 (ITGB1) and assessed the role of ITGB1 in VM formation. We used in vitro methods to seed cancer cells on Matrigel to evaluate the capability of VM formation. We carried out ITGB1 gene deletion using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, and these ITGB1-knockout cells did not show a VM-like network formation. Further, reintroduction of ITGB1 rescued VM-like network formation in ITGB1-knockout cells. In conclusion, ITGB1 is a critical factor in VM of human cancer cells, and inhibition of ITGB1 may be a novel therapeutic approach for malignant cancer.