Survival of cancer cells is maintained by EGFR independent of its kinase activity

Abstract

Expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a receptor tyrosine kinase associated with cell proliferation and survival, is overactive in many tumors of epithelial origin. Blockade of the kinase activity of EGFR has been used for cancer therapy; however, by itself, it does not seem to reach maximum therapeutic efficacy. We report here that in human cancer cells, the function of kinase-independent EGFR is to prevent autophagic cell death by maintaining intracellular glucose level through interaction and stabilization of the sodium/glucose cotransporter 1 (SGLT1).