Erb-2/HER2 Oncogene in Breast Cancer: Does Bivalency of Growth Factors Drive Tumorigenicity Through Receptor Heterodimerization
Abstract
The HER2/ErbB-2 oncogenic protein contributes to virulence of human breast cancer and serves as a useful target for cancer immunotherapy. However, the exact mechanism underlying ErbB-2 function is still unknown. Our studies of the last year have concentrated on the widely accepted possibility that ErbB-2 acts as a direct receptor for a still unknown growth factor. By screening several potential candidates we found no known growth factor that fulfills the expected attributes of an ErbB-2 specific ligand. However, this search resulted in the identification of a novel growth factor, which we named Neuregulin-4, whose direct receptor is ErbB-4 (see publication 1). Systematic comparison of all of the known ligands of ErbB proteins, including three viral molecules, led us to conclude that ErbB-2 may not function as a direct receptor for a specific ligand. Instead, our studies imply that it acts as a shared co-receptor for many, if not all, ErbB ligands (See publication 2). This conclusion explains the tumorigenic action of ErbB-2 in terms of the cross-talk between the stroma and the epithelial tumor cells.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA382955
Entities
People
- Yosef Yarden
Organizations
- Weizmann Institute of Science