Generation of Rat Monoclonal Antibodies Against Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2.

Abstract

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is a transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor without any known ligands and a member of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family. It is a proto-oncogenic protein that, through signaling cascades, promotes cell proliferation and inhibits apoptosis in cancer cells through homo- and heterodimerization with other EGFR family receptors. Since several cancers, including breast cancer, overexpress HER2, it is a target of tumor therapy. Both trastuzumab and pertuzumab are recombinant humanized monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) used in clinical trials that target the extracellular domain (ECD) of HER2. Therefore, it is important to generate antibodies against various ECDs of HER2. In this study, we describe rat mAbs, which were generated against the ECD of human HER2. The human breast cancer cell line SK-BR-3 was subjected to immunofluorescence staining as it expresses HER2, and mAbs can detect both intact and endogenous HER2 within the cell line.