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A role for epidermal growth factor receptor in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis onset

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Abstract

In idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients the presence of missense polymorphisms (SNP) in members of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family or their genetic association could influence the binding affinity of natural ligands, modifying the expression and the behavior of the correlated genes. EGFR family members are particularly involved in the epithelial injury and fibrotic process in IPF. Genetic variations in HER family of receptors may alter the possible therapeutic efficacy of EGFR inhibitors. This study aimed to analyze the relationships between IPF and specific EGF receptor family functional polymorphisms. We tested the presence of common EGFR, HER2 and HER3 non-synonymous SNPs in the peripheral blood of 20 Italian IPF patients and their association with the disease. Our data indicated that the HER2 variant allele frequency was significantly lower in patients than in controls, with an odds ratio of 0.31 (95% CI 0.080, 0.98). Our finding suggests that HER2 variant could be a protective factor against IPF onset.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Istologia, Embriologia e Biologia Applicata, Università di Bologna, Via Belmeloro 8, 40126, Bologna, Italy

    Marcella Martinelli, Stefano Rivetti, Mattia Lauriola, Gabriella Mattei, Luca Scapoli & Rossella Solmi

  2. Centro di Ricerca in Genetica Molecolare “Fondazione CARISBO”, Bologna, Italy

    Marcella Martinelli, Stefano Rivetti, Mattia Lauriola, Gabriella Mattei, Luca Scapoli & Rossella Solmi

  3. Dipartimento di Medicina Interna dell’Invecchiamento e Malattie Nefrologiche, Università di Bologna, via Massarenti 9, 40138, Bologna, Italy

    Angela Maria Grazia Pacilli, Paolo Carbonara & Ilaria Valentini

  4. Dipartimento Cardio-Toraco-Vascolare, UO Pneumologia e TI Respiratoria, Policlinico S Orsola-Malpighi, via Massarenti 9, 40138, Bologna, Italy

    Luca Fasano

Authors
  1. Marcella Martinelli
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  2. Angela Maria Grazia Pacilli
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  3. Stefano Rivetti
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  4. Mattia Lauriola
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  9. Luca Scapoli
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  10. Rossella Solmi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Rossella Solmi.

Additional information

Marcella Martinelli, Angela Maria Grazia Pacilli contributed equally to this work.

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Martinelli, M., Pacilli, A.M.G., Rivetti, S. et al. A role for epidermal growth factor receptor in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis onset. Mol Biol Rep 38, 4613–4617 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-010-0594-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-010-0594-0

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