Fig. 4.

Effects of Hex on EGFR dimerization.

Serum starved Caco-2 cells were treated with/without Hex (5 and/or 10 μM) and in the absence or presence of EGF (10 ng/ml), for 1 h at 4 °C. Cell membrane receptors were cross-linked with 3 mM BS3 as described in methods. EGFR monomers and dimers were assessed by Western blot. Upon stimulation with EGF, EGFR dimers were identified as a band twice the molecular weight (340 kDa) of EGFR monomers (170 kDa). (A) Representative Western blot images, (B) protein loading was assessed by Ponceau staining and (C) bands were quantified and the ratio dimers/monomers calculated and referred to control (cells incubated in the absence of additions) values (1, dashed line). Results are shown as mean ± SEM and are the average of at least three independent experiments. Values having different superscripts are significantly different (p < 0.05, One way ANOVA).