Trastuzumab treatment in patients with breast cancer is associated with differential expression of the neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase receptor NTRK2.

Abstract

The mechanism of action underlying trastuzumab (Herceptin) function is ascribed to binding of the Fab region of trastuzumab to the extracellular domain of the human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2) (1). The transcriptional responses that follow signals transduced after trastuzumab binding of HER2 are less well understood. We mined published microarray and multiplexed gene expression data (2, 3) to understand in an unbiased fashion genes most differentially expressed in the primary tumors of breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab. We observed significantly increased and differential expression of the neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase receptor 2, NTRK2 (4, 5).