Stage- and tissue-specific expression of the neu oncogene in rat development.

The neu oncogene (also referred to as c-erbB-2 and HER2) encodes a 185-kDa transmembrane glycoprotein with tyrosine kinase activity termed p185. The p185 glycoprotein is structurally related to the epidermal growth factor receptor. It is thought that p185 is the receptor for an as yet unidentified growth factor. In the present study, RNA blot analyses and immunohistochemical studies were performed on rat tissues obtained from a variety of prenatal and postnatal stages to examine the expression of the neu oncogene and its product, p185, during normal development. Expression of the neu gene was detected in mid-gestation embryos in a variety of tissues including nervous system, connective tissue, and secretory epithelium, but not in lymphoid tissue. In adult animals, secretory epithelial tissues and basal cells of the skin expressed neu. These studies demonstrate that the neu gene is expressed in a tissue- and developmental stage-specific manner. We suggest that the p185 molecule plays an important role in the growth and development of a variety of tissues, and, in particular, in epithelial tissue.