Kearsley J H, Leonard J H, Walsh M D, Wright G R
Queensland Institute of Medical Research.
Pathology. 1991 Jul;23(3):189-94. doi: 10.3109/00313029109063564.
The proto-oncogenes c-erbB-2 and epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor which encode 2 closely homologous transmembrane glycoproteins have been found amplified and/or overexpressed in a range of epithelial malignancies. In a series of 46 head and neck squamous cell cancers (SCCs), immunohistochemical reactivity for the EGF receptor was detected in all cases, particularly at the invading edge of cellular islands of SCC and in the basal cells of normal adjacent squamous epithelium. Southern blot analysis demonstrated EGF receptor gene amplification in 3 cases. In contrast, strong membrane staining for the c-erbB-2 oncoprotein was not detected in any sample, and there were no cases of c-erbB-2 gene amplification. Despite a close structural and (presumed) functional homology between these 2 receptor-oncoproteins in the development of malignancy, we report that their expression in SCCs is markedly different. Furthermore, unlike the situation for breast cancer, quantitation of the c-erbB-2 or EGF receptor oncoproteins is unlikely to yield important prognostic information in this group of patients.
原癌基因c-erbB-2和表皮生长因子（EGF）受体可编码两种密切同源的跨膜糖蛋白，在一系列上皮性恶性肿瘤中发现它们被扩增和/或过度表达。在46例头颈部鳞状细胞癌（SCC）中，所有病例均检测到EGF受体的免疫组织化学反应，特别是在SCC细胞岛的浸润边缘以及相邻正常鳞状上皮的基底细胞中。Southern印迹分析显示3例存在EGF受体基因扩增。相比之下，在任何样本中均未检测到c-erbB-2癌蛋白的强膜染色，也没有c-erbB-2基因扩增的病例。尽管这两种受体癌蛋白在恶性肿瘤发生过程中存在密切的结构和（推测的）功能同源性，但我们报告它们在SCC中的表达明显不同。此外，与乳腺癌的情况不同，对c-erbB-2或EGF受体癌蛋白进行定量分析不太可能为该组患者提供重要的预后信息。
