PNNL

Abstract

The human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER/ErbB) system comprises the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR/HER1) and three other homologues viz. HER2-4. This receptor system plays a critical role in cell proliferation and differentiation and receptor over-expression can be associated with poor prognosis in cancers of the epithelium. Here, we examine the effect of co-expressing varying levels of HER1-3 on the receptor dimerization patterns using a detailed kinetic model for ErbB heterodimerization and trafficking. Our results indicate that co-expression of EGFR with HER2 or HER3 biases signaling to the cell surface and retards signal down-regulation. In addition, simultaneous co-expression of HER1-3 leads to preferential formation of HER2-HER3 heterodimers, which are known to be potent inducers of cell growth and transformation. Analysis of the parameter dependencies in the model reveals that measurements of HER3 phosphorylation and HER2 internalization ratio may prove to be especially useful for the estimation of critical model parameters. Further, we examined the effect of receptor dimerization patterns on cell phenotype using a simple phenomenological model. Results indicate that co-expression of EGFR with HER2 and HER3 at low to moderate levels may enable cells to match the phenotype of a high HER2 expresser.