EphA2 and EGFR: Friends in Life, Partners in Crime. Can EphA2 Be a Predictive Biomarker of Response to Anti-EGFR Agents?

Overview

Journal Cancers (Basel)

Publisher MDPI

Specialty Oncology

Date 2021 Feb 12

PMID 33572284

Citations 14

Authors

Mario Cioce

Vito Michele Fazio

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The Eph receptors represent the largest group among Receptor Tyrosine kinase (RTK) families. The Eph/ephrin signaling axis plays center stage during development, and the deep perturbation of signaling consequent to its dysregulation in cancer reveals the multiplicity and complexity underlying its function. In the last decades, they have emerged as key players in solid tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC); however, what causes EphA2 to switch between tumor-suppressive and tumor-promoting function is still an active theater of investigation. This review summarizes the recent advances in understanding EphA2 function in cancer, with detail on the molecular determinants of the oncogene-tumor suppressor switch function of EphA2. We describe tumor context-specific examples of EphA2 signaling and the emerging role EphA2 plays in supporting cancer-stem-cell-like populations and overcoming therapy-induced stress. In such a frame, we detail the interaction of the EphA2 and EGFR pathway in solid tumors, including colorectal cancer. We discuss the contribution of the EphA2 oncogenic signaling to the resistance to EGFR blocking agents, including cetuximab and TKIs.

Citing Articles

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Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate drives the formation of EGFR and EphA2 complexes.

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Potential role of the Eph/ephrin system in colorectal cancer: emerging druggable molecular targets.

Scarini J, Goncalves M, de Lima-Souza R, Lavareze L, Kimura T, Yang C Front Oncol. 2024; 14:1275330.

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