MCF-7 breast cancer cells grow as adherent cells, but following overexpression of protein kinase C-alpha these cells (MCF-7-PKC-alpha cells) become anchorage-independent and exhibit increased tumorigenicity in nude mice. MCF-7-PKC-alpha cells are also sensitized to apoptosis in response to phorbol ester but not serum starvation. Flourescence-activated cell sorting revealed that several integrin subunits were down-regulated in MCF-7-PKC-alpha cells, however, the fibronectin receptor alpha 5 beta 1 was upregulated. MCF-7-PKC-alpha cells growing under non-adherent conditions underwent cell death when antibodies to alpha 5 beta 1 were added to growth media lacking serum but not when serum was present. Addition of soluble fibronectin to cells incubated without serum suppressed apoptosis triggered by anti-alpha 5 beta 1 antibodies but not by phorbol esters. MCF-7-PKC-alpha cells also were shown to express more fibronectin on their cell surface than MCF-7V cells (MCF-7 cells transfected with pSV(2)M(2)6 vector only). This study indicates that the survival of MCF-7-PKC-alpha cells under non-adherent conditions in the absence of serum results from the ligation of alpha 5 beta 1 with surface-bound fibronectin, which may account, in part, for the increased aggressiveness of these cells.

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