Integrin alpha-6 beta-1 (α6β1 integrin or VLA-6)

Integrin alpha-6 beta-1 (α6β1 integrin) is a heterodimeric cell surface receptor formed by the non-covalent association of the α6 (ITGA6/CD49f) and β1 (ITGB1/CD29) subunits. It is a prototypical laminin receptor highly expressed on epithelial cells, stem cells, endothelial cells, and various cell types in adult tissues and during development. α6β1 mediates adhesion to basement membrane laminins, regulates key aspects of cell proliferation, stem cell maintenance, migration, and survival via bi-directional signaling. In cancer, α6β1 plays important roles in tumor progression, metastasis, and cancer stem cell regulation, making it a target of interest for therapeutic and diagnostic development. As with other integrins, α6β1 can transduce mechanical and chemical signals and is critical for tissue organization and response to injury[1][2][4][5][7][9].

Other names

CD49f/CD29 complexVLA-6Laminin receptor (when referring specifically to α6β1)ITGA6/ITGB1Platelet glycoprotein GPIc-IIa[1][4][5][9]

Inhibition of α6β1 blocks cell adhesion to laminin, affects stem cell function, can inhibit migration/metastasis in models. Activating antibodies increase ligand binding affinity and can modulate integrin conformation/activation[2][3][9].