HER2 is a member of the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER/EGFR/ERBB) family. Amplification or overexpression of this oncogene has been shown to play an important role in the development and progression of certain aggressive types of breast cancer. In recent years the protein has become an important biomarker and target of therapy for approx. 30% of breast cancer patients. Over-expression is also known to occur in ovarian, stomach, and aggressive forms of uterine cancer, such as uterine serous endometrial carcinoma. The expression of HER2 is regulated by signaling through estrogen receptors. Normally, estradiol and tamoxifen acting through the estrogen receptor down-regulate the expression of HER2. However, when the ratio of the coactivator AIB-3 exceeds that of the corepressor PAX2, the expression of HER2 is upregulated in the presence of tamoxifen, leading to tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer.
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2. "Brk is coamplified with ErbB2 to promote proliferation in breast cancer." Xiang B., Chatti K., Qiu H., Lakshmi B., Krasnitz A., Hicks J., Yu M., Miller W.T., Muthuswamy S.K.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 105:12463-12468(2008)
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