Activation of epidermal growth factor receptor via CCR3 in bronchial epithelial cells

We have previously found that bronchial epithelia] cells express CCR3 whose signaling elicits mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase activation and cytokine production. Several investigators have focused on the signaling crosstalk between G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGER) in cancer cells. In this study, we investigated the role of EGFR in CCR3 signaling in the bronchial epithelial cell line NCl-H-292. Eotaxin (1-100nM) induced dose-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation of EGER in NCl-H-292 cells. Pretreatment of the cells with the EGER inhibitor (AG1478) significantly inhibited the MAP kinase phosphorylation induced by eotaxin. Eotaxin stimulated IL-8 production, which was inhibited by AG1478. The transactivation of EGFR through CCR3 is a critical pathway that elicits MAP kinase activation and cytokine production in bronchial epithelial cells. The delineation of the signaling pathway of chemokines will help to develop a new therapeutic strategy to allergic diseases including bronchial asthma. (C) 2004 Published by Elsevier Inc.