Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2025

Studying the Stoichiometry of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor in Intact Cells using Correlative Microscopy
Published on: September 11, 2015
Lipid rafts, caveolae, and epidermal growth factor receptor family: friends or foes?
Francesca Ruzzi1, Chiara Cappello1, Maria Sofia Semprini1
1Laboratory of Immunology and Biology of Metastasis, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences (DIMEC), University of Bologna, Bologna, 40126, Italy.
Abstract:
Lipid rafts are dynamic microdomains enriched with cholesterol and sphingolipids that play critical roles in cellular processes by organizing and concentrating specific proteins involved in signal transduction. The interplay between lipid rafts, raft-associated caveolae and the human epidermal growth factor receptors has significant implications in cancer biology, particularly in breast and gastric cancer therapy resistance. This review examines the structural and functional characteristics of lipid rafts, their involvement in EGFR and HER2 signaling, and the impact of lipid rafts/CXCL12/CXCR4/HER2 axis on bone metastasis. We also discuss the potential of targeting lipid rafts and caveolin-1 to enhance therapeutic strategies against HER2-positive cancers and the impact of co-localization of trastuzumab or antibody drug conjugates with caveolin-1 on therapy response. Emerging evidence suggests that disrupting lipid raft integrity or silencing caveolin-1, through several strategies including cholesterol-lowering molecules, can influence HER2 availability and internalization, enhancing anti-HER2 targeted therapy and offering a novel approach to counteract drug resistance and improve treatment efficacy.
Related Concept Videos
Receptor Downregulation in MVBs
The EGFR can initiate signaling pathways that lead to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Overexpression of EGFR stimulates cells to proliferate. Excessive EGFR...
Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions
Some...
Assembly of Signaling Complexes
Interaction domains in cell signaling
Interaction domains recognize exposed features of their binding partners containing post-translationally modified sequences,...
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle
Receptor-mediated Endocytosis
Lipids as Anchors
The carboxy-terminal of most of the prenylated proteins, such as Ras proteins, contains...

