Overview

Amphiregulin is a member of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family. It binds to several receptors including EGFR/ErbB1, HER2/ErbB2, HER3/ErbB3, and HER4/ErbB4, which activates Ras/Raf/MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways. This results in cell proliferation, apoptosis resistance, and invasive behaviour (Normanno et al.). The expression of amphiregulin is induced by tissue injury and inflammation. Amphiregulin promotes mammary development, trophoblast growth, lung and kidney branching morphogenesis, and keratinocyte proliferation. It stimulates the growth of most cell types, including normal and transformed mammary epithelial cells, and malignant cells of the colon, prostate, cervix, and pancreas (Berasain & Avila).