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Evidence for increased epidermal growth factor receptors in human sarcomas
Author(s) -
Cowley Gerard,
McIlhinney Jeffrey,
Gusterson Barry,
Ozanne Bradford,
Fisher Cyril,
Reeves Brian
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910360612
Subject(s) - synovial sarcoma , receptor , biology , epidermal growth factor , epidermal growth factor receptor , sarcoma , immunohistochemistry , pathology , cell culture , growth factor receptor , monoclonal antibody , microbiology and biotechnology , cancer research , antibody , immunology , medicine , biochemistry , genetics
The results of an immunocytochemical study of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in 35 human soft‐tissue sarcomas, using a murine monoclonal antibody (MAb) EGF‐RI, are reported. In many of the tumours staining was stronger than in the adjacent stroma, suggesting increased levels of receptor. Particularly strong staining was seen in one epithelioid sarcoma and in the spindle‐cell component of a synovial sarcoma. Binding studies carried out on an epithelioid sarcoma cell line established from one of the specimens, using radiolabelled EGF, showed that approximately 8% of the receptors were of high affinity with a dissociation constant (Kd) of approximately 10 −10 m, while the remainder were of lower affinity with a Kd of 10 −9 m. The cells expressed a total of 1.7 × 10 6 receptors/cell which is equivalent to that found in some epidermoid tumours where gene amplification has been demonstrated. These data suggest that, as with other tumours recently reported, increased levels of epidermal growth factor receptor may be related to transformation.