ERBB4 selectively amplifies TGF-β pro-metastatic responses

Transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) is well known to play paradoxical roles in tumorigenesis as it has both growth-inhibitory and pro-metastatic effects. However, the underlying mechanisms of how TGF-β drives the opposing responses remain largely unknown. Here, we report that ERBB4, a member of the ERBB receptor tyrosine kinase family, specifically promotes TGF-β's metastatic response but not its anti-growth response. ERBB4 directly phosphorylates Tyr162 in the linker region of SMAD4, which enables SMAD4 to achieve a higher DNA-binding ability and potentiates TGF-β-induced gene transcription associated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cell migration, and invasion without affecting the genes involved in growth inhibition. These selective effects facilitate lung cancer metastasis in mouse models. This discovery sheds light on the previously unrecognized role of SMAD4 as a substrate of ERBB4 and highlights the selective involvement of the ERBB4-SMAD4 regulatory axis in tumor metastasis.