Summary
Accumulated evidence indicates that activation of erbB family of receptors, when mutated
or over-expressed, mediates chemoand radiotherapy resistance. In this context signaling
pathways down-stream of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), when abnormally activated,
invoke cell survival mechanisms, which leads to resistance against radiation. In several
reports it has been demonstrated that molecular targeting of EGFR signaling enhances
the cytotoxic effects of radiotherapy. The radiosensitizing effects of EGFR antagonists
correlate with a suppression of the ability of tumor cells to repair radiation-induced
DNA double strand breaks (DNA-DSBs) through non-homologous endjoining repair pathway
(NHEJ).
The purpose of this review is to highlight the function of EGFR and erbB2 receptors
on signaling pathways, i. e. PI3K/Akt activated by ionizing radiation (IR) and involved
in repair of DNA-DSB which can explain the radiosensitizing effects of related antagonists.
Advances in understanding the mechanism of erbB-signaling in regulating DNA-DSB repair
will promote translational approaches to test new strategies for clinically applicable
molecular targeting.
Keywords
EGFR - PI3K-Akt-signaling - DNA-repair - radiation response