title: Exogenous expression of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in rat striatum by naked plasmid DNA.
abstract: Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a heterodimeric protein and shows mitogenic and morphogenic activities toward a variety of epithelial cells. There has been no immunohistochemical evidences for naked DNA mediated transgene expression of HGF into central nervous system. We initially demonstrated a naked plasmid mediated expression of HGF into rat striatum. The immunofluorescence staining revealed that exogenous protein of human HGF was expressed at 7 days after plasmid injection (300 microg). Exogenous HGF was mainly expressed in reactive astrocytes according to dual-labeling staining of HGF and glial fibrillary acidic protein or S100. It is also demonstrated that c-met, specific receptor of HGF, was expressed in the injection site. Intensive expression of c-met was found in the site to which HGF encoded plasmid was injected. These evidences for the exogenous expression of HGF and its receptor c-met may implicate an application of naked plasmid mediated HGF for neuronal disease as well as the other neurotrophic factors.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, 207 Uehara, Nishihara, Okinawa 903-0215, Japan. k008703@med.u-ryukyu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Keishi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sekiguchi
authors.forename: Fumioki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yasuzumi
authors.forename: Ryuichi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morishita
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001517:Coleoptera; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010957:Plasmids / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor