Single-molecule study of lateral mobility of epidermal growth factor receptor 2/HER2 on activation

J Phys Chem B. 2008 Apr 3;112(13):4140-5. doi: 10.1021/jp710302j. Epub 2008 Mar 7.

Abstract

The transmembrane protein HER2, a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor family of tyrosine kinase, plays important roles in many fundamental cellular processes as well as the pathogenesis of many cancers. In this work, we have applied the single-molecule fluorescence microscopic method to study lateral mobility change of HER2 on activation by imaging and tracking individual GFP-tagged HER2 molecules on the membrane of living cells. The single HER2 molecules displayed different diffusion rates and modes. It was interesting to find that the mobility of HER2 increased upon stimulation by heregulin beta1, the specific ligand of HER3. The faster diffusion was related to the tyrosine phosphorylation of HER2 or EGFR. The results provided new information for the understanding of HER2 activation and molecular mechanism of signal transduction through HER2/HER3 heterodimerization.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Cell Membrane / chemistry
  • Cell Membrane / drug effects
  • Cell Membrane / metabolism
  • Diffusion
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / chemistry
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / drug effects
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Neuregulin-1 / chemistry
  • Neuregulin-1 / pharmacology
  • Phosphorylation
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / chemistry*
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / drug effects
  • Receptor, ErbB-2 / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Signal Transduction / physiology
  • Spectrometry, Fluorescence / methods
  • Time Factors
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured

Substances

  • Neuregulin-1
  • Green Fluorescent Proteins
  • heregulin beta1
  • Erbb2 protein, mouse
  • Receptor, ErbB-2