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Localizing the EGF receptor - Reply

Nature Cell Biology volume 4, pages E22–E23 (2002)Cite this article

An Erratum to this article was published on 01 April 2002

Reply

Indeed, we agree that EGFR nuclear localization will involve yet unresolved and exciting mechanisms as pointed out by Madshus and co-workers. As mentioned in the discussion section of our manuscript: “It is not clear how EGFR is translocated to the nucleus....” We did discuss the possibility that the nuclear pore complex (the Ran-Importin pathway) might be involved. The mechanism suggested by Madshus and co-workers stems from “the mutants of insulin receptor, where one or more hydrophobic residues of the transmembrane segment were instead polar.” But no such mutation has been reported in EGFR, and no evidence supports that mutation is required for nuclear localization of EGFR in our Nature Cell Biology paper1. Thus, without further investigation, it is premature to propose the same type of mechanism. It should be pointed out that nuclear translocation of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 has recently been shown to occur via an importin-β-dependent mechanism3 and may be involved in transcriptional activity4. Also, mutations in the transmembrane segment of HER-2/neu, a member of EGFR family that changes a hydrophobic valine residue to a hydrophilic glutamic acid have been reported. The mutation enhances transforming activity of the HER-2/neu gene and the mutant is considered as a transforming oncogene5. It is not yet known whether the Val→Glu mutation could be involved in nuclear localization.

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Figure 1: Double immunofluorescence staining and confocal analyses of nuclear EGFR and various organelle-specific markers in MDA-MB-468 cells.
Figure 2: Localization of EGFR in the nucleus and other organelles in MDA-MB-468 cells.

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco and Endocrine Unit at the VA Medical Center, San Francisco, 94121, CA, USA

    Lilly Bourguignon & Patrick Singleton

  2. Department of Surgical Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, 77030-4009, TX, USA

    Keng-hsueh Lan, Dihua Yu & Mien-Chie Hung

  3. Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, 77030-4009, TX, USA

    Mien-Chie Hung

  4. Shiaw-Yih Lin

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  1. Lilly Bourguignon
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  6. Mien-Chie Hung
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Correspondence to Mien-Chie Hung.

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Bourguignon, L., Lan, Kh., Singleton, P. et al. Localizing the EGF receptor - Reply. Nat Cell Biol 4, E22–E23 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncb0202-e22b

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