Extracellular matrix is important in the metastasis of tumor, and basement membrane acts not only as tissue barrier but also as adhesive substrate for tumor cell invasion. Laminin and type IV collagen are major components of basement membrane and important in tumor invasion. Adhesion and invasion studies about metastasis of the tumor have been performed mainly in colon cancer or breast cancer but rare in gastric cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the difference in the ability of adhesion to the basement membrane and their biological activity between the normal gastrocyte and gastric cancer cells. Then, The role of basement membrane in tumor invasion was assessed by the evaluation of the invasion of gastric cancer cells of different histological differentiation. Gastrocytes;, ere isolated from the surgically resected specimen by treating with collagenase and deoxyribonuclease. Normal gastrocytes were maintained viable up to 24 hours after isolation. The isolated cells were confirmed as gastric epithelial cells by indirect immuno- fluorescence staining for cytokeratin. Although the adhesion of normal gastrocyte was lower than that of gastric cancer cells, gastrocyte was bound to laminin and type IV collagen. The substrates were shown to play an important role for the differentiation and regeneration of gastrocytes also. In the invasion assay using transwell cell culture chamber coated with matrigel, laminin and type IV collagen enhanced tumor cell invasion (p<0.05). However, there was no difference according to histological differentiation. In conclusion, it can be suggested that laminin and type IV collagen must be important for the biologicaf activity of normal gastrocyte and metastasis of gastric cancer celL Type IV collagen enhances the invasion of gastric cancer cell more than laminin does.
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