Breast Cancer Research

official impact factor 5.79

Review

HER2 therapy. HER2 (ERBB2): functional diversity from structurally conserved building blocks

Ralf Landgraf

Author Affiliations

University of California Los Angeles, Department of Medicine, Hematology-Oncology and Biological Chemistry, Molecular Biology Institute, Los Angeles, California 90095-1678, USA

Breast Cancer Research 2007, 9:202 doi:10.1186/bcr1633

Published: 22 January 2007

Abstract

EGFR-type receptor tyrosine kinases achieve a broad spectrum of cellular responses by utilizing a set of structurally conserved building blocks. Based on available crystal structures and biochemical information, significant new insights have emerged into modes of receptor control, its deregulation in cancer, and the nuances that differentiate the four human receptors. This review gives an overview of current models of the control of receptor activity with a special emphasis on HER2 and HER3.