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Title: Molecular cloning and expression of an additional epidermal growth factor receptor-related gene

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (USA)

Epidermal growth factor (EGF), transforming growth factor {alpha} (TGF-{alpha}), and amphiregulin are structurally and functionally related growth regulatory proteins. These secreted polypeptides all bind to the 170-kDa cell-surface EGF receptor, activating its intrinsic kinase activity. However, amphiregulin exhibits different activities than EGF and TGF-{alpha} in a number of biological assays. Amphiregulin only partially competes with EGF for binding EGF receptor, and amphiregulin does not induce anchorage-independent growth of normal rat kidney cells (NRK) in the presence of TGF-{beta}. Amphiregulin also appears to abrogate the stimulatory effect of TGF-{alpha} on the growth of several aggressive epithelial carcinomas that over-express EGF receptor. These findings suggest that amphiregulin may interact with a separate receptor in certain cell types. Here the authors report the cloning of another member of the human EGF receptor (HER) family of receptor tyrosine kinases, which were named HER3/ERRB3. The cDNA was isolated from a human carcinoma cell line, and its 6-kilobase transcript was identified in various human tissues. They have generated peptide-specific antisera that recognizes the 160-kDa HER3 protein when transiently expressed in COS cells. These reagents will allow us to determine whether HER3 binds amphiregulin or other growth regulatory proteins and what role HER3 protein plays in the regulation of cell growth.

OSTI ID:
6249928
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (USA), Vol. 87:13; ISSN 0027-8424
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English