How shape-shifting receptors affect cell growth
CAMBRIDGE, MA – Receptors found on the surface of cells bind to hormones, proteins, and other molecules, helping cells respond to their environment. MIT chemists have now discovered how one of these receptors changes its shape when it binds to its target, and how that change triggers cells to grow and reproduce. This receptor, known as the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), is overexpressed in many cancers and is the target of several cancer drugs. These drugs often work well at first, but tumors can become resistant to them. Better understanding the mechanism of these receptors could help researchers design drugs that can circumvent that resistance, said Gabriela Schlau-Cohen, a professor of chemistry at MIT. “Thinking about more general mechanisms for targeting EGFR is an exciting new direction, and gives you new avenues for thinking about possible therapies that may not develop resistance easily,” he said. Schlau-Cohen and Bin Zhang, Pfizer-Laubach Assistant Prof...