Selective inhibition of the epidermal growth factor and HER2/neu receptors by tyrphostins

The HER2 (neu/erb-B2) proto-oncogene codes for a transmembrane receptor with tyrosine kinase activity and with high homology to the EGF receptor (HER1). The high incidence of HER2 overexpression in breast and ovary carcinomas prompted us to synthesize protein tyrosine kinase inhibitors (tyrphostins) which selectively inhibit the HER2 kinase activity. Two groups of tyrphostins were developed: one highly selective in inhibiting HER1 as opposed to HER2, the other highly selective in inhibiting HER2. Both the HER1 and the HER2 selective blockers were competitive with ATP binding. This suggests that even though the kinase domains of the respective receptors show an 80% degree of homology it is possible to design small molecules capable of discriminating between them. These results also show that the two kinases differ in their ATP binding sites. Mitogenic signaling induced by EGF in NIH3T3 cells overexpressing either HER1 or HER1-2 (possessing the HER2 kinase domain) was blocked identically by the agents that discriminate between the two in vitro. This paradox was further explored and elucidated. We propose that high intracellular ATP levels prevent inhibitor binding to the receptor. The antiproliferative action of the two distinct selective tyrphostins observed may result from the inhibition of a downstream element, presumably a tyrosine kinase, which mediates mitogenic signaling.