Insights into erlotinib action in pancreatic cancer cells using a combined experimental and mathematical approach

Figure 5 Simulations of the mathematical model reflect the experimental time series. Serum-starved BxPC-3 and Capan-1 cells were preincubated with different doses of erlotinib for 4 h and stimulated with 10 ng/mL epidermal growth factor (EGF) for the indicated times. Cellular lysates were analyzed by quantitative immunoblotting, and phospho-protein kinase B (pAKT), protein kinase B (AKT), phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase levels were determined. Plotted are experimental results (BxPC-3 and Capan-1); mean ± SE of at least six independent experiments and model simulation (lines) for BxPC-3 and Capan-1 cells for different times of EGF stimulation. All data were scaled to the untreated BxPC-3 cells (absence of EGF and erlotinib), where the ratio was set as 1.