
Background
HGFisamesenchymallyderivedpotentmitogenformatureparenchymalhepatocytecellsandactsasagrowthfactorforabroadspectrumoftissuesandcelltypes.HGFsignalsthroughatransmembranetyrosinekinasereceptorknownasMET.ActivitiesofHGFincludeinductionofcellproliferation,motility,morphogenesis,inhibitionofcellgrowth,andenhancementofneuronsurvival.HGFisacrucialmitogenforliverregenerationprocesses,especiallyafterpartialhepatectomyandotherliverinjuries.HumanandmurineHGFarecross-reactive.HumanHGFisexpressedasalinear697aminoacidpolypeptideprecursorglycoprotein.ProteolyticprocessingofthisprecursorgeneratestheBIOLOGicallyactiveformofHGF,whichconsistsoftwopolypeptidechains(α-chainandβ-chain)heldbyasingledisulfidebondresultinginformationofabiologicallyactiveheterodimer.Theα-chainconsistsof463aminoacidresiduesandfourkringledomains.Theβ-chainconsistsof234aminoacidresidues.
Specifications