Signal transduction pathway mediated by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)

Signal transduction pathway mediated by epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). The interaction with ligand that occurs in the extracellular portion of the EGFR family induces the formation of a functionally active EGFR–EGFR homodimer or of an EGFR–human epidermal receptor 2 (HER2), EGFR–HER3 or EGFR–HER4 heterodimer. As explained in the text, this results in conformational changes that allow the EGFR tyrosine kinase to be activated with the phosphorylation of specific tyrosine residues within the EGFR intracellular carboxyl-terminal domain. Phosphorylated tyrosine residues trigger a complex programme of intracellular signals to the cytoplasm and then to the nucleus that stimulates cell proliferation, loss of differentiation, invasion and angiogenesis, and blocks the apoptosis.

Publication

Anti-epidermal growth factor receptor monoclonal antibodies in cancer therapy. (2009) E Martinelli, et al. Clin Exp Immunol. 2009 Oct;158(1):1-9. Figure: F1. All organisms Drosophila melanogaster Homo sapiens

Disease mentions