Expression of ErbB receptors and their cognate ligands in gastric and colon cancer cell lines.
BACKGROUND
ErbB receptors and their cognate ligands are implicated in cancer progression. Their expression in gastrointestinal cancer, however, has not been systemically studied.


METHODS
The expression of four ErbB receptors and a panel of ErbB ligands were determined by reverse transcription-PCR in two gastric (TMK1, MKN-45) and two colon (SW1116, HT-29) cancer cell lines. Cell proliferation was measured by MTT assay while gene knockdown was achieved by RNA interference.


RESULTS
ErbB1, ErbB2 and ErbB3 receptors and five known or putative ErbB ligands, namely, epiregulin, epidermal growth factor (EGF), heparin-binding EGF, transforming growth factor alpha (TGFalpha) and neuroglycan-C were expressed in all four cell lines. Knockdown of neuroglycan-C, however, did not affect cell proliferation.


CONCLUSIONS
This study profiles the expression of ErbB receptors and their cognate ligands in gastric and colon cancer cells. These findings might lay the basis for the development of ErbB pathway-directed therapeutics for gastrointestinal cancer.
Wu
William Ka Kei
WK
Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
Tse
Timothy Tim Ming
TT
Sung
Joseph Jao Yiu
JJ
Li
Zhi Jie
ZJ
Yu
Le
L
Cho
Chi Hin
CH