Von Hippel-Lindau Tumor Suppressor Gene Loss in Renal Cell Carcinoma Promotes Oncogenic Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Signaling via Akt-1 and MEK1

摘要

ObjectivesClear-cell renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most prevalent form of kidney cancer and is frequently associated with loss of von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene function, resulting in the aberrant transcriptional activation of genes that contribute to tumor growth and metastasis, including transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α), a ligand of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase. To determine the functional impact of EGFR activation on RCC, we suppressed critical components of this pathway: EGFR, Akt-1, and MEK-1.