• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5599-5603
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• 2012

Background: The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is a potential therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment; however, its use does not lead to a marked clinical response. Studies of non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer showed that mutations of genes in the PIK3CA/AKT and RAS/RAF/MEK pathways, two major signalling cascades downstream of EGFR, might predict resistance to EGFR-targeted agents. Therefore, we examined the frequencies of mutations in these key EGFR pathway genes in Chinese breast cancer patients. Methods: We used a high-throughput mass-spectrometric based cancer gene mutation profiling platform to detect 22 mutations of the PIK3CA, AKT1, BRAF, EGFR, HRAS, and KRAS genes in 120 Chinese women with breast cancer. Results: Thirteen mutations were detected in 12 (10%) of the samples, all of which were invasive ductal carcinomas (two stage I, six stage II, three stage III, and one stage IV). These included one mutation (0.83%) in the EGFR gene (rs121913445-rs121913432), three (2.50%) in the KRAS gene (rs121913530, rs112445441), and nine (7.50%) in the PIK3CA gene (rs121913273, rs104886003, and rs121913279). No mutations were found in the AKT1, BRAF, and HRAS genes. Six (27.27%) of the 22 genotyping assays called mutations in at least one sample and three (50%) of the six assays queried were found to be mutated more than once. Conclusions: Mutations in the EGFR pathway occurred in a small fraction of Chinese breast cancers. However, therapeutics targeting these potential predictive markers should be investigated in depth, especially in Oriental populations.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.495-498
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• 2013

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is over-expressed in several human cancers. This would suggest that inhibition of EGFR is a reasonable approach for cancer treatment. In this study we investigated EGFR blocking and its effects on the mediated signaling such as MAPK and STATb in HT29 cells. For this aim we used FITC-labeled EGFR antisense oligonucleotides encapsulated with PAMAM nanoparticles to inhibit EGFR expression. Cellular uptake of antisense was investigated by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry analysis. The effect of EGFR antisense on the expression of EGFR in HT29 cells was examined by real time PCR and Western blots, which showed that antisense encapsulated with PAMAM decreased the level of EGFR mRNA and protein. In addition, real time PCR results confirmed that EGFR inhibition had an effective role in the reduction of EGFR dependent downstream genes. In conclusion, EGFR antisense encapsulated with PAMAM nanoparticles down regulated EGFR and EGFR-mediated genes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.5
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• pp.2235-2240
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• 2012

c-Src is one member of non-receptor tyrosine kinase protein family that has over expression and activation in many human cancer cells. It has been shown that c-Src is implicated in various downstream signaling pathways associated with EGFR-dependent signaling such as MAPK and STAT5 pathways. Transactivation of EGFR by c-Src is more effective than EGFR ligands. To inhibit the c-Src expression, we used c-Src antisense oligonucleotide complexed with PAMAM Denderimes. The effect of c-Src antisense oligonucleotide on HT29 cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay. Then, the expression of c-Src, EGFR and the genes related to EGFR-depended signaling with P53 was applied by real time PCR. We used western blot analysis to elucidate the effect of antisense on the level of c-Src protein expression. The results showed, c-Src antisense complexed with PAMAM denderimers has an effective role in decrease of c-Src expression and EGFR-dependent downstream genes.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.268-271
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• 2004

Purpose: Most gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) have gain-of-function mutations of the KIT or the platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRA) genes, but approximately $10\%$ of the GISTs are wild types for both the KIT and the PDGFRA genes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possibility that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation might be responsible for the pathogenesis of GIST. Materials and Methods: We analyzed the EGFR gene in 60 GISTs for the detection of somatic mutations by using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), and DNA sequencing in exon 18, 19, and 21 encoding the kinase domain. Results: The SSCP analysis revealed no evidence of EGFR mutations in exon 18, 19, and 21 in GISTs. Conclusion: The data indicate that the EGFR gene may not be mutated in human GIST and suggest that therapies targeting the mutated EGFR gene products might not be useful in the treatment of GISTs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.8
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• pp.4485-4494
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• 2013

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is considered to be one of the key driver genes in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Several clinical trials have shown great promise of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in the first-line treatment of NSCLC. Many advances have been made in the understanding of EGFR signal transduction network and the interaction between EGFR and tumor microenvironment in mediating cancer survival and development. The concomitant targeted therapy and radiation is a new strategy in the treatment of NSCLC. A number of preclinical studies have demonstrated synergistic anti-tumor activity in the combination of EGFR inhibitors and radiotherapy in vitro and in vivo. In the present review, we discuss the rationale of the combination of EGFR inhibitors and radiotherapy in the treatment of NSCLC.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.9
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• pp.4751-4756
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• 2012

Colon cancer continues to be one of the most common cancers, and the importance and necessity of new therapies needs to be stressed. The most important proto-oncogen factors for colon cancer appear to be epidermal growth factor receptor, EGFR, and c-Src with high expression and activity leading to tumor growth and ultimately to colon cancer progression. Application of c-Src and EGFR antisense agents simultaneously should theoretically therefore have major benefit. In the present study, anti-EGFR and c-Src specific antisense oligodeoxynucleotides were combined in a formulation using PAMAM dendrimers as a carrier. Nano drug entry into cells was confirmed by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy imaging and real time PCR showed gene expression of c-Src and EGFR, as well as downstream STAT5 and MAPK-1 with the tumor suppressor gene P53 to all be downregulated. EGFR and c-Src protein expression was also reduced when assessed by western blotting techniques. The effect of the antisense oligonucleotide on HT29 cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay, reduction beijng observed after 48 hours. In summary, nano-drug, anti-EGFR and c-Src specific antisense oligodeoxynucleotides were effectively transferred into HT-29 cells and inhibited gene expression in target cells. Based on the results of this study it appears that the use of antisense EGFR and c-Src simultaneously might have a significant effect on colon cancer growth by down regulation of EGFR and its downstream genes.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.8
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• pp.3457-3460
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• 2014

Background: Thymomas and thymic carcinomas are rare malignancies and devising clinically effective molecular targeted therapies is a major clinical challenge. The aim of the study was to analyze BLC2 and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) expression and KRAS and EGFR mutational status and to correlate them with the clinical characteristics of patients with thymomas and thymic carcinomas. Materials and Methods: A total of 62 patients (mean age: $50.4{\pm}13.2$ years) with thymomas and thymic carcinomas were enrolled. The expression of BLC2 and VEGFR in tumor cells and normal tissues was evaluated by RT-PCR. The mutational status of the KRAS and EGFR genes was investigated by PCR with sequence specific primers. Results: The BLC2 and VEGFR expression levels did not differ significantly between tumor and normal tissues. Moreover, there were no clearly pathogenic mutations in KRAS or EGFR genes in any tumor. None of the molecular markers were significantly related to clinical outcomes. Conclusions: Changes in levels of expression of BLC2 and VEGFR do not appear to be involved in thymic tumorigenesis. Moreover, our data suggest that KRAS and EGFR mutations do not play a major role in the pathogenesis of thymomas and thymic carcinomas.

• International Journal of Oncology
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.320-330
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to investigate the underlying mechanisms responsible for the anticancer effects of lupeol on human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). MTT assay and Trypan blue exclusion assay were used to evaluate the cell viability. DAPI staining and flow cytometric analysis were used to detect apoptosis. Molecular docking and western blot analysis were performed to determine the target of lupeol. We found that lupeol suppressed the proliferation and colony formation of NSCLC cells in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, lupeol increased chromatin condensation, poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage, sub-G1 cell populations, and the proportion of Annexin V-positive cells, indicating that lupeol triggered the apoptosis of NSCLC cells. Notably, lupeol inhibited the phosphorylation of epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR). A docking experiment revealed that lupeol directly bound to the tyrosine kinase domain of EGFR. We observed that the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), a downstream molecule of EGFR, was also dephosphorylated by lupeol. Lupeol suppressed the nuclear translocation and transcriptional activity of STAT3 and downregulated the expression of STAT3 target genes. The constitutive activation of STAT3 by STAT3 Y705D overexpression suppressed lupeol-induced apoptosis, demonstrating that the inhibition of STAT3 activity contributed to the induction of apoptosis. The anticancer effects of lupeol were consistently observed in EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)-resistant H1975 cells (EGFR L858R/T790M). Taken together, the findings of this study suggest that lupeol may be used, not only for EGFR TKI-naïve NSCLC, but also for advanced NSCLC with acquired resistance to EGFR TKIs.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.8
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• pp.442-447
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• 2020

The non-viral delivery of genes into macrophages, known as hard-to-transfect cells, is a challenge. In this study, the microporation of a CpG-free and small plasmid (pCGfd-GFP) showed high transfection efficiency, sustainable transgene expression, and good cell viability in the transfections of Raw 264.7 and primary bone marrow-derived macrophages. The non-viral method using the pCGfd vector encoding anti-EGFR single-chain Fv fused with Fc (scFv-Fc) generated the macrophages secreting anti-EGFR scFv-Fc. These macrophages effectively phagocytized tumor cells expressing EGFR through the antibody-dependent mechanism, as was proved by experiments using EGFR-knockout tumor cells. Finally, peri-tumoral injections of anti-EGFR scFv-Fc-secreting macrophages were shown to inhibit tumor growth in the xenograft mouse model.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.185-191
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• 2008

While indirect targeting strategies using reporter-genes are taking center stage in current molecular imaging research, another vital strategy has long involved direct imaging of specific receptors using radiolabeled ligands. Recently, there is renewal of immense interest in this area with particular attention to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a transmembrane glycoprotein critically involved in the regulation of many cellular functions and malignancies. Recently, two novel classes of EGFR-targeting anticancer drugs have entered clinical trials with great expectations. These are monoclonal antibodies such as cetuximab that target the extracellular domain, and small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as gefitinib (lressa) and erlotinib (Tarceva) that target the catalytic domain of the receptor. However, early results have showed disappointing survival benefits, disclosing a major challenge for this therapeutic strategy; namely, the need to identify tumors that are most likely to respond to the agents. To address this important clinical issue, several noninvasive imaging techniques are under investigation including radiolabeled probes based on small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors, anti-EGFR antibodies, and EGF peptides. This review describes the current status, limitations, and future prospects in the development of radiotracer methods for EGFR imaging.