The protective effect of betacellulin against acute pancreatitis is ERBB4 dependent.

Background: The EGFR ligand betacellulin (BTC) has been previously shown to protect mice against experimentally induced acute pancreatitis (AP). BTC binds both autonomous ERBB receptors EGFR and ERBB4. In this study, we evaluated the mechanism underlying the protection from AP-associated inflammation in detail.

Methods: AP was induced with cerulein or L-arginine and investigated in a pancreas-specific ERBB4 knockout and in an EGFR knockdown mouse model (Egfr). Pancreatitis was evaluated by scoring inflammation, necrosis, and edema, while microarrays were performed to analyze alterations in the transcriptome between mice with AP and animals which were protected against AP. The intracellular domain (ICD) of ERBB4 was analyzed in different cell compartments.

Results: While the pancreas of BTC transgenic mice in the background of Egfr is still protected against AP, the BTC-mediated protection is no longer present in the absence of ERBB4. We further demonstrate that BTC activates the ICD of ERBB4, and increases the expression of the extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins periostin and matrix gla protein as well as the ECM modulators matrix metalloproteinases 2 and 3, but only in the presence of ERBB4. Notably, the increased expression of these proteins is not accompanied by an increased ECM amount.

Conclusions: These findings suggest that BTC derivates, as a drug, or the ERBB4 receptor, as a druggable target protein, could play an important role in modulating the course of AP and even prevent AP in humans.