Understanding the Role of HER2 in Cancer Pathogenesis

This animation explains the role of HER2 in the regulation of cell growth and the negative effects of HER2 overexpression. 

Transcript:

Normal, healthy cells use molecular pathways to control cell functions. The HER family of cell membrane receptors are important regulators of cell growth, especially the HER2 receptor. It exists in an open confirmation that allows other activated HER receptors to dimerize with a high affinity. The dimer activates downstream cytoplasmic signaling pathways that translocate to the nucleus. These pathways impact genes associated with cell cycle progression and growth. HER2 is overexpressed on some cancer cells, sometimes producing up to 100 fold the normal number of receptors. This results in a significant increase in signaling derived from the HER receptors, deregulation of the HER associated pathways linked to cell survival, and uncontrolled proliferation in a cancerous manner.