title: Epidermal growth factor-related transforming growth factors in the urine of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
abstract: To characterize epidermal growth factor-related transforming growth factors in the urine of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma, gel filtration with Bio-Gel P-30 was performed in seven hepatocellular carcinoma patients and seven sex-matched and age-matched healthy controls. Distinct profiles of soft agar growth assay in the hepatocellular carcinoma patients and the normal controls were seen. Three peaks (A, B and C) in the urine were examined. Peak C in most hepatocellular carcinoma patients was higher than that in healthy controls. Similar profiles were detected with epidermal growth factor radioreceptor assay and cellular DNA synthesis assay. This result might indicate that transforming growth factors with low molecular weight were found in the urine of hepatocellular carcinoma patients. An exceptional HCC patient had an additional peak (A') that corresponded to the high molecular weight protein. We concluded that there were transforming growth factors with functional activity in the urine of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Kaohsiung Medical College, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: L Y
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chuang
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Y C
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Yeh
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Guh
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Tsai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000362:Agar; D000368:Aged; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000652:urine*; D002455:Cell Division; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000652:urine*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011869:Radioligand Assay; D015291:Transforming Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism / Q000652:urine*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D015291:Transforming Growth Factors; D000362:Agar; D066246:ErbB Receptors