| BackgroundInformation | TheEpidermalGrowthFactorReceptor(EGFR)isoneoftheReceptorTyrosineKinaseswhichcanactivatetheMAPKpathway,oneofthreemajorsignalingpathwaysdownstreamofEGFR.EGFRbelongstoErbBreceptorsuperfamily,agroupoftransmembraneglycoproteinreceptors,consistingoffourmembers:EGFR(ErbB-1),ErbB-2(c-neu,HER2),ErbB-3(HER3),andErbB-4(HER4). 
 Criticalcellulardecisionssuchasproliferation,migration,anddifferentiation,areregulatedby
 stimulatorycuesfromtheextracellularenvironment,primarilygrowthfactors,extracellular
 matrix(ECM)proteins,andadhesionmoleculespresentedonthesurfaceofneighboringcells.Oncethesecuesarereceived,cellsundergocomplexsignalingcascadessuchastheMitogenActivatedProteinKinase(MAPK)pathwayinordertorespondtotheirenvironmentalstimuli.
 
 GrowthfactorsandmitogensusetheRas/Raf/MEK/ERKsignalingcascadetotransmitsignalsfrom
 theirreceptorstoregulategeneexpressionandpreventapoptosis.OnceactivatedbyphosphorylationExtra-cellularsignalRelatedKinase(ERK)entersthenucleusandactivatestargetproteinsassociatedwithcellularproliferationandmigration.
 
 DeregulationoftheEGFR/ERKpathwayduetoalterationsaffectingtheexpressionorfunctionofanumberofpathwaycomponentshaslongbeenassociatedwithnumerousformsofcancer.DuetothecomplexityofthepathwayanditsinvolvementinmanymalignanciestheEGFR/MAPKpathwayisstudiedbynumerousresearcherslookingforinsightintothemechanismsinvolvedintheformationandprogressionofcancers.
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