Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
479544 
Journal Article 
Surviving cell death through epidermal growth factor (EGF) signal transduction pathways: Implications for cancer therapy 
Henson, ES; Gibson, SB 
2006 
Yes 
Cellular Signalling
ISSN: 0898-6568 
18 
12 
2089-2097 
English 
There is a balance between cell death and survival in living organisms. The ability of cells to sense their environment and decide to survive or die is dependent largely upon growth factors. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a key growth factor regulating cell survival. Through its binding to cell surface receptors, EGF activates an extensive network of signal transduction pathways that include activation of the PI3K/AKT, RAS/ERK and JAK/STAT pathways. These pathways predominantly lead to activation or inhibition of transcription factors that regulate expression of both pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins effectively blocking the apoptotic pathway. In cancer, EGF signaling pathways are often dysfunctional and targeted therapies that block EGF signaling have been successful in treating cancers. In this review, we will discuss the EGF survival signaling network, how it cross-talks with the apoptotic signaling pathways and the therapeutic drugs targeting the EGF survival pathway used to treat cancers. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 
tryosine kinase receptors; EGF; cancer; apoptosis; survival; AKT; MAPK; STAT; death receptors; mitochondria; caspase; transcription factors; Bcl-2 family members; tumor-necrosis-factor; nf-kappa-b; tyrosine kinase inhibitors; activated protein-kinase; factor receptor; induced apoptosis; lung-cancer; transcription factor; epithelial-cells; phase-ii