Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
Volume 20, Issue 16, Pages -Publisher
MDPI
DOI: 10.3390/ijms20164021
Keywords
TNF; EGFR; apoptosis; lung injury; transactivation
Funding
- Showa University School of Medicine Alumni Association
- JSPS KAKENHI [16K09590]
- Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research [16K09590] Funding Source: KAKEN
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Pneumonitis is the leading cause of death associated with the use of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the risk factors and the mechanism underlying this toxicity have not been elucidated. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) has been reported to transactivate EGFR in pulmonary epithelial cells. Hence, we aimed to test the hypothesis that EGFR tyrosine kinase activity regulates TNF-mediated bronchial epithelial cell survival, and that inhibition of EGFR activity increases TNF-induced lung epithelial cell apoptosis. We used surfactant protein C (SPC)-TNF transgenic (tg) mice which overexpress TNF in the lungs. In this model, gefitinib, an EGFR-TKI, enhanced lung epithelial cell apoptosis and lymphocytic inflammation, indicating that EGFR tyrosine kinase prevents TNF-induced lung injury. Furthermore, IL-17A was significantly upregulated by gefitinib in SPC-TNF tg mice and p38MAPK activation was observed, indicative of a pathway involved in lung epithelial cell apoptosis. Moreover, in lung epithelial cells, BEAS-2B, TNF stimulated EGFR transactivation via the TNF-alpha-converting enzyme in a manner that requires heparin binding (HB)-EGF and transforming growth factor (TGF)-alpha. These novel findings have significant implications in understanding the role of EGFR in maintaining human bronchial epithelial cell homeostasis and in NSCLC treatment.
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