In squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells Axl has been shown to dimerize with EGFR and promote ligand independent phosphorylation of EGFR, leading to increased activation of phospholipase Cγ (PLC γ) and protein kinase C ζ (PKCζ), as well as mTOR [28]. This evidence concerns the gene MTOR and squamous cell carcinoma.