Epithelial lab front page

Lab head

Current Research

Laboratory staff

Selected Publications

New Stuff

The Epidermal Growth Factor receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed or activated in a large proportion of solid tumours where it promotes tumor development by a combination of increased proliferation and reduced apoptosis. Our overall aim is to define the EGFR- dependent pathways involved in these events and to identify crucial targets for therapeutic intervention. Our efforts are focused on the analysis of EGFR-mediated cell cycle control and prevention of apoptosis in both non-transformed and tumorgenic cells. Experimental models in our laboratory include cell lines expressing wild type or mutant EGFR, which, in combination with a series of specific signalling pathway inhibitors, allow us to determine the contribution of individual pathways on survival, cell cycle progression, and the co-ordinated expression and localization of cell cycle proteins.

Lab members involved in the research:

• Francesca Walker
• Hui-Hua Zhang
• Tony Burgess

Collaborators involved in the research.

• Hong-Jian Zhu, (Epithelial lab, LICR)
• Sandra Nicholson (WEHI)
• Wallace Langdon (University of Western Australia)
• Alexander Levitzki (Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)

Selected Publications:
RING finger mutations that abolish c-Cbl-directed polyubiquitination and downregulation of the EGF receptor are insufficient for cell transformation.
Thien CB, Walker F, Langdon WY.
Mol Cell. 7:355-365 (2001). [Medline entry]

Activation of the Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway by kinase-defective epidermal growth factor receptors results in cell survival but not proliferation.
Walker F, Kato A, Gonez LJ, Hibbs ML, Pouliot N, Levitzki A, Burgess AW.
Mol Cell Biol. 18:7192-204 (1998). [Medline entry]

Biochemical characterization of mutant EGF receptors expressed in the hemopoietic cell line BaF/3.
Walker F, Hibbs ML, Zhang HH, Gonez LJ, Burgess AW.
Growth Factors. 16:53-67 (1998). [Medline entry]