Dissociation of the complex between CD151 and laminin-binding integrins permits migration of epithelial cells

Laminin-binding integrins form a complex with CD151, a member of the tetraspanin family suggested to be involved in the regulation of cell migration. In the epidermis, CD151 is localized with α3β1 and α6β4 integrins at cell–cell and cell–matrix contacts, respectively, characteristic structures of non-migrating cells. Taking advantage of a monoclonal antibody against CD151, TS151r, which epitope overlaps with the tetraspanin integrin-binding site, we have investigated the role of CD151 in epithelial cell migration. Under standard culture conditions, the migratory capacity of epithelial HaCaT cells on laminins is low, apparently due to endogenous laminin 5. However, challenging HaCaT cells with TS151r allows a re-arrangement of the actin cytoskeleton, dismantling of cell–cell and β4 integrin-mediated cell–matrix contacts and cell migration. In vivo, free CD151 is absent in resting epithelial cells of interfollicular epidermis, and all CD151 is bound to integrins in intercellular and cell–matrix contacts. By contrast, free CD151 is present at intercellular contacts in the epithelial sheet lining the deeper region of anagen hair follicles, which is considered to contain migrating cells. Together, these results strongly suggest that dissociation of the CD151–integrin complex permits remodeling of epithelial cell interactions with the extracellular matrix and cell migration.