ERBB2 receptor belongs to the ERBB tyrosine kinase receptor family. At variance to the other family members, ERBB2 is a constitutively active orphan receptor. Upon ligand binding and activation, ERBB receptors form homo- or hetero-dimers with the other family members, including ERBB2, promoting an intracellular signaling cascade. ERBB2 is the preferred dimerization partner and ERBB2 heterodimer...

The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family, consisting of four tyrosine kinase receptors, c-erbB1-4, seems to be influential in gliomagenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate EGFR gene amplification and expression of c-erbB1-4 receptor proteins in human anaplastic astrocytomas. Formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded sections from 31 cases were investigated by standard immunohisto...

Background. No predictive or prognostic biomarker is available for patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) undergoing perioperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT). Members of the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) family of receptor tyrosine kinases EGFR (HER1, ERBB1), HER2 (ERBB2), HER3 (ERBB3), and HER4 (ERBB4) are therapeutic targets in several cancers. The analysis was perfor...

The overexpression and aberrant function of members of the erbB family of receptors, particularly erbB1 (also known as epidermal growth factor receptor), and its ligands in many human cancers have provided a rationale for targeting this signaling network with novel approaches. erbB1 is a selective target for inhibiting cancers because its activation often confers a proliferative advantage. Acti...

Muscarinic receptors (CHRM) are overexpressed in colon cancer. To explore a role for muscarinic receptor signaling in colon cancer metastasis, we used human H508 and HT29 colon cancer cells that coexpress epidermal growth factor (ERBB) and CHRM3 receptors. In a wound closure model, following 8-h incubation of H508 cells with 100 μM ACh we observed a threefold increase in cell migration indistin...

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) signaling are critical for effective proliferative and apoptotic actions; however, little is known about the codependency of these signaling pathways in the intestinal epithelium. Because total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is associated with loss of intestinal epithelial cell (IEC) proliferation and increased apoptosis, we utilized...

Alterations in the ErbB family of growth factor receptors, their signaling components, and mutational activation of Ras proteins are major contributors to malignant transformation. Recently, mutant Ras was shown to be capable of activating ErbB receptors in a ligand-independent manner. Furthermore, it was observed that nucleolin, a transcriptional regulator and ribosome biogenesis factor, can b...

Although activation of the ErbB family of receptor tyrosine kinases (ErbB1-4) is driven by oligomerization mediated by intermolecular interactions between the extracellular, the kinase and the transmembrane domains, the transmembrane domain has been largely neglected in this regard. The largest contributor to the intramembrane electric field, the dipole potential, alters the conformation of tra...

A major problem in the treatment of cancer is the specific targeting of drugs to these abnormal cells. Ideally, such a drug should act over short distances to minimize damage to healthy cells and target subcellular compartments that have the highest sensitivity to the drug. We describe the novel approach of using modular recombinant transporters to target photosensitizers to the nucleus, where ...

Heparin binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) is involved in development and homeostasis as well as in pathological processing of chronic diseases, especially cancer. Enhancement of HB-EGF expression is directly or indirectly regulated by transcriptional factors, including activator protein-1 (AP-1), specificity protein (SP)1, SP3, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), hypoxia i...