Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Variant III (EGFRvIII)

Epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII) is a tumor-specific mutant form of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), most commonly found in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and other human epithelial tumors. EGFRvIII arises from an in-frame deletion of exons 2–7 in the EGFR gene, resulting in a truncated extracellular domain that lacks amino acids 6–273 and introduces a novel glycine residue at the junction between amino acids 5 and 274. This mutation leads to a protein with an approximate molecular weight of 145 kDa. It is constitutively active and promotes oncogenic transformation, tumor progression, cell proliferation, survival signaling, resistance to apoptosis, angiogenesis induction, invasion/migration enhancement.

Other names

EGFR deletion mutantde2-7 EGFRΔEGFR

Therapies targeting EGFRvIII aim to inhibit its constitutive kinase activity or induce an immune response against cells expressing it. Examples include vaccines and CAR-T cell therapy. The goal is to selectively kill tumor cells expressing the variant receptor while sparing normal cells.