Affiliations: Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala,
India | Institute for Research in Molecular Medicine, Health
Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kelantan, Malaysia
Note: [] Corresponding author: Professor, Prabha Balaram, Institute for
Research in Molecular Medicine (INFORMM), Health Campus, Universiti Sains
Malaysia, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia. Tel.: 609 764 2286; Fax: 609
765 7267; E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; Web:
www.informm.usm.my
Abstract: Molecular alterations in Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)
were investigated for the first time in molar placenta using protein
expression, activation status, differential amplification status and mutational
analysis. Invasive lesions showed upregulation of internal domain and
downregulation of external domain with concomitantly high gene amplification
and phosphorylation. Mutations distributed across different exons in
non-invasive cases in contrast to single mutations restricted to exons 4 and 6
in invasive cases displayed a strong correlation to overexpression and
phosphorylation status suggesting that higher copies of EGFR gene and mutations
in exon 4&6 influence the invasive capacity of trophoblasts and can be used
as a biomarker of invasion.
