The epidermal growth factor receptor and the product of the neu protooncogene are members of a receptor tyrosine phosphorylation cascade.

The protein product of the neu protooncogene, p185, is a tyrosine kinase with a high degree of sequence homology to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor. Although p185 does not bind EGF, EGF stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of p185. To determine the mechanism of this interaction we have used a vaccinia virus/bacteriophage T7-based transient gene expression system to induce production of normal and kinase-deficient forms of p185 in the absence and presence of EGF receptors. Tyrosine phosphorylation of kinase-deficient p185 was observed, but only in the presence of the EGF receptor. These findings strongly support the hypothesis that p185 is a substrate for the EGF receptor tyrosine kinase in a tyrosine kinase cascade.