title: Heterodimerization of the erbB-1 and erbB-2 receptors in human breast carcinoma cells: a mechanism for receptor transregulation.
abstract: The erbB-1 and erbB-2 protooncogenes encode homologous membrane receptors that respectively bind epidermal growth factor (EGF) and a still incompletely characterized ligand. Binding of EGF to its receptor is known to increase tyrosine phosphorylation of the erbB-2/neu receptor in tumor cells. To investigate the mechanism of this transregulatory pathway, we analyzed the interactions between the two receptors in SKBR-3 human breast carcinoma cells. Chemical cross-linking of 125I-labeled EGF revealed that the radiolabeled EGF receptor coimmunoprecipitates with the erbB-2/neu receptor. In addition a cross-linked species of 360-kdalton molecular mass is also coimmunoprecipitated. The formation of the latter species is absolutely dependent on the presence of EGF receptor and thus appears to represent a heterodimer of the erbB-1 and erbB-2 receptors. In vitro kinase reaction assays revealed that receptor heterodimerization is induced by EGF binding and leads to a dramatic increase in the self-phosphorylation capacity of the dimerized receptors. Moreover, analysis of living SKBR-3 cells suggested that most of the EGF-induced transregulation of the erbB-2/neu receptor is due to receptor heterodimerization. In conclusion, heterodimers of erbB-1 and erbB-2 receptors may provide a mechanism for dual transductory functions of growth factors of breast tumor cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Goldman
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Peles
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yarden
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms; D002460:Cell Line; D015536:Down-Regulation; D066246:ErbB Receptors; D005260:Female; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases
chemical_list: D066246:ErbB Receptors; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases