Biophysical Society Conference | Tahoe 2024

Molecular Biophysics of Membranes

Poster Abstracts

23-POS Board 6 QUANTIFYING EGF-EGFR BINDING AFFINITIES IN THE PRESENCE OF EGFR HETEROPARTNERS Ece Özdemir 1,2 ; Kalina Hristova 1,2 ; 1 Johns Hopkins University, Materials Science and Engineering, Baltimore, MD, USA 2 Johns Hopkins University, Institute for NanoBioTechnology, Baltimore, MD, USA Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is a member of the RTK family which is critically important for the development of the epithelium and has been implicated in many cancers. EGFR is known to have multiple interaction partners in the plasma membrane and some of these heterointeractions have been studied in the literature. Understanding the complexities in EGFR signaling will help us develop better therapeutics in the future that are more specific and targeted. In this project, we investigate how the binding characteristics of EGFR are modulated by interaction partners, such as Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor1 (FGFR1) and Ecadherin, in the plasma membrane. We quantify the binding of EGF to the EGFR, with and without the partner proteins, using a recently developed model membrane system which allows high throughput measurements by using confocal microscope. The results reveal a novel way in which interaction partners can modulate EGFR activation and signaling, by altering EGF-EGFR binding.

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