Truncated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFRt)

The **truncated epidermal growth factor receptor** (EGFRt) is a genetically engineered, modified version of the full-length epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). Unlike wild-type EGFR, EGFRt lacks key extracellular and intracellular domains, including the major ligand-binding domains (Domains I and II), the juxtamembrane domain, and the entire tyrosine kinase catalytic domain. As a result, EGFRt does not participate in natural EGFR signaling or bind EGF or related growth factors. Instead, it is frequently used as a synthetic cell-surface marker in engineered T cell therapies to allow for positive selection of modified cells or for induced deletion by monoclonal antibodies (such as cetuximab), providing a means of controlling engineered cell populations for safety in clinical applications. EGFRt should not be confused with oncogenic EGFR mutants or variants involved in cancer signaling. Key points: - EGFRt is not a naturally occurring receptor, but a laboratory-constructed tool. - It serves as a non-signaling selection/suicide marker in adoptive cell therapies, such as CAR-T cell products. - It can be targeted by antibodies (e.g., cetuximab) to enrich or eliminate engineered cells.

Other names

truncated EGFREGFRt

Recognition by monoclonal antibodies (e.g., cetuximab) for targeted cell depletion or selection in engineered cell therapies