EGF-Containing Membrane-Bound Mucins: A Hidden ErbB2 Targeting Pathway?

Membrane-bound mucins belong to a heterogeneous family of large O-glycoproteins involved in numerous cancers and inflammatory diseases of the epithelium. Some of them are also involved in protein–protein interactions, with receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB2, and fundamental and clinical data showed that these complexes have a detrimental impact on cancer outcome, thus raising interest in therapeutic targeting. This paper aims to demonstrate that MUC3, MUC4, MUC12, MUC13, and MUC17 have a common evolutionary origin and share a common structural organization with EGF-like and SEA domains. Theoretical structure–function relationship analysis of the conserved domains indicated that the studied membrane-bound mucins share common biological properties along with potential specific functions. Finally, the potential druggability of these complexes is discussed, revealing ErbB2-related pathways of cell signaling to be targeted.