Busting the Breast Cancer with AstraZeneca’s Gefitinib

Figure 4

The mechanism of action and implications of GEF. GEF competes with ATP and binds to the adenine pocket of the active tyrosine kinase in the EGFR, hence preventing the downstream signaling and in turn the therapeutic effects of preventing the migration, growth, adhesion, and differentiation of cancer cells. The numbers 1, 2, and 3 represent the EGFR1, EGFR2, and EGFR3, respectively. PIK3, phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase; Akt, protein kinase B, serine/threonine kinase; mTOR, mammalian target of rapamycin; KRAS, Kristen rat sarcoma virus gene; RAF, rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma kinases; MEK, MAPK, mitogen-activated protein kinase; Erk, extracellular signal-regulated kinase; ATP, adenosine triphosphate; G, gefitinib; K, kinase domain; Tyr, tyrosine. Adapted and modified from [30, 138].