
Background
HGFisamesenchymallyderivedpotentmitogenformatureparenchymalhepatocytecellsandactsasagrowthfactorforabroadspectrumoftissuesandcelltypes.HGFsignalsthroughatransmembranetyrosinekinasereceptorknownasMET.ActivitiesofHGFincludeinductionofcellproliferation,motility,morphogenesis,inhibitionofcellgrowth,andenhancementofneuronsurvival.HGFisacrucialmitogenforliverregenerationprocesses,especiallyafterpartialhepatectomyandotherliverinjuries.HumanandmurineHGFarecross-reactive.MurineHGFisexpressedasalinear728aminoacidpolypeptideprecursorglycoprotein.ProteolyticprocessingofthisprecursorgeneratestheBIOLOGicallyactiveformofHGF,whichconsistsoftwopolypeptidechains(α-chainandβ-chain)heldbyasingledisulfidebondresultinginformationofabiologicallyactiveheterodimer.Theα-chainconsistsof463aminoacidresiduesandfourkringledomains.Theβ-chainconsistsof233aminoacidresidues.*Manufacturedusing(BTI-Tn-5B1-4)cellsunderlicensefromtheBoyceThompsonInstituteforPlantResearch,Inc.
Specifications