Co-expression queries with the myofibroblastic cancer-associated fibroblast (myCAF) marker, alpha smooth muscle actin (αSMA), demonstrated a moderate level of α11<sup>+</sup> in myCAFs associated with PDAC and HNSCC tumors, and a lack of α11 expression in additional stromal cells (i.e., cells positive for fibroblast-specific protein 1 (FSP1) and NG2).
Integrin α11 is overexpressed by tumour stroma of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and correlates positively with alpha smooth muscle actin expression.
All examined chromosomal regions contain genes known that regulate the actin cytoskeleton, with several (PI3-kinase alpha, focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and cortactin) known to promote invasion in HNSCC and other carcinomas.