Fig. 3

The absence of integrin α3 increases the invasiveness of HER2-driven tumors. a Significantly more Itga3 KO compared to WT mice developed lung metastasis (chi-square (Fisher’s exact) test). b The number of metastasis, counted in H&E-stained sections of the lungs, was significantly increased in Itga3 KO mice (unpaired t test, P = 0.0119). c Metastases were of similar sizes in Itga3 KO and WT mice (unpaired t test, P = 0.2222). d Itga3 KO compared to WT mice had a significantly larger total metastatic burden, i.e., total metastatic area in the lungs (chi-square test). e Representative images of invasive and blood-borne metastasis in the lungs of Itga3 KO and WT mice, stained for HER2/Neu. f The percentage of blood-borne and invasive out of total pulmonary metastases shows a small increase in the number of invasive metastases in Itga3 KO mice. g The percentage of invasive metastasis-bearing mice per genotype out of the total number of metastases-bearing mice. Almost twice as many Itga3 KO as WT mice displayed invasive metastases