The intricate intracellular communication between stromal and epithelial cells, which involves cell?cell-, cell?insoluble extracellular matrix- (ECM), and cell?soluble factor-mediated signaling processes, is an attractive target for therapeutic intervention in hormone-refractory and bone-metastatic prostate cancer. In the present study we demonstrated that androgen-independent PC3 prostate cancer cells adhered to and migrated on vitronectin (VN), a major noncollagenous ECM in mature bone, through the expression of v-containing integrin receptors v1 and v5 on the cell surface, as determined by antibody function blocking assay and flow cytometry analysis. Small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting human integrin v markedly reduced their respective mRNA and protein expression in cells, resulting in nearly complete reduction in VN-mediated cancer progression in vitro. In vivo quantitative bioluminescence analysis of human prostate cancer bone xenografts demonstrated for the first time that intratumoral administration of liposome-encapsulated human v-siRNAs significantly inhibits the growth of luciferase-tagged PC3 tumors in skeleton, which was associated with decreased integrin v expression and increased apoptosis in tumor cells. This integrin-based gene therapy is particularly suitable for the treatment of prostate cancer bone metastasis.
