Evidence for the identity of human scatter factor and human hepatocyte growth factor.
Scatter factor (SF), a secretory protein of fibroblasts, dissociates and increases the motility of epithelial cells and may be involved in cell migration processes during embryogenesis and tumor progression. Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a protein isolated from serum of patients with liver failure, is a potent mitogen for hepatocytes and is thought to play a role in liver regeneration. Here we present structural and functional evidence that human SF and human HGF (and also the human lung fibroblast-derived mitogen) are identical proteins encoded by a single gene, since (i) no major difference could be found by protein sequencing, by cDNA analysis, and by immunological comparison and (ii) SF in fact acts as a hepatocyte growth factor--i.e., stimulates DNA synthesis of activity--i.e., dissociates and induces invasiveness of various epithelial cells. The human SF/HGF gene was localized to chromosome bands 7q11.2-21. These results have important consequences for further studies on the involvement of SF/HGF as a modulator of cellular growth and motility in embryonal, malignant, and regenerative processes.
Weidner
K M
KM
Institut für Zellbiologie (Tumorforschung), Medical School, Essen, Federal Republic of Germany.
Arakaki
N
N
Hartmann
G
G
Vandekerckhove
J
J
Weingart
S
S
Rieder
H
H
Fonatsch
C
C
Tsubouchi
H
H
Hishida
T
T
Daikuhara
Y
Y
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D002871:Chromosome Banding; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002897:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 7; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000187:drug effects; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000502:physiology; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor; D006801:Humans; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D014162:Transfection
D016207:Cytokines; D015850:Interleukin-6; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor