Some human neoplasms show aberrant expression or overexpression of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor, and the degree of the receptor expression is correlated with the malignant phenotype in certain epithelial tumors including squamous carcinoma cells. Since phenotypic transformation of cells could involve quantitative and qualitative alteration of integrin function, the effects of EGF on cell-matrix interactions were studied using HSC-1 cells, a human squamous carcinoma cell line showing EGF receptor overexpression. The EGF-treated HSC-1 cells interacted with matrix proteins differently from the untreated cells, as shown by cell adhesion and phagokinetic track assays. Among fibronectin, laminin, fibrinogen, and type I collagen, fibronectin was the most efficient substratum to promote untreated HSC-1 cell adhesion and migration. Pretreatment of the cells with 50 ng/ml EGF for 18 h selectively increased the number of spread cells and the size of the individual cell migration area on type I collagen by 250 and 400%, respectively. The same pretreatment diminished cell adhesion and migration on other substrata so that the EGF treatment converted type I collagen as the most efficient substratum for cell adhesion and migration of the HSC-1 cells. ELISA and immunoprecipitation studies showed that EGF up-regulated the expression of alpha 2 beta 1 integrin collagen receptor in a time- and dose-dependent manner by stimulating biosynthesis of alpha 2 subunit, but did not up-regulate those of the alpha 3 beta 1, alpha 5 beta 1, or alpha v beta 3 integrins. These results suggest that EGF preferentially enhances HSC-1 cell interaction with type I collagen, leading to the enhanced cellular migratory activity on the substratum, as a result of selective up-regulation of alpha 2 beta 1 integrin expression.