title: Isolation and functional identification of a novel human hepatic growth factor: hepatopoietin Cn.
abstract: Hepatic stimulating substance (HSS) was first isolated from weanling rat liver in 1975 and found to stimulate hepatic DNA synthesis both in vitro and in vivo. Since then, mammalian and human HSS have been investigated for their potential to treat hepatic diseases. However, the essential nature in composition and structure of HSS remain puzzling because HSS has not been completely purified. Heating, ethanol precipitation, and ion-exchange chromatographies had been carried out to isolate the protein with specific stimulating activity from newborn calf liver, and [(3)H]thymidine deoxyribose (TdR)/bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation and carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester (CFSE)-based proliferation assay to determine the bioactivity in vitro and in vivo. We report the purification of a novel 30-kDa protein from a crude extract of calf liver HSS. This protein is a member of the leucine-rich acidic nuclear protein family (LANP) and has been named hepatopoietin Cn (HPPCn). Studies of partially hepatectomized (PH) mice show that levels of HPPCn messenger RNA (mRNA) increase after liver injury. Furthermore, the recombinant human protein (rhHPPCn) was shown to stimulate hepatic DNA synthesis and activate signaling pathways involved in hepatocyte proliferation in vitro and in vivo.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HPPCn is a novel hepatic growth factor that plays a role in liver regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Hematology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chun-Ping
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Da-Jin
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Bing-Xing
authors.initials: BX
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Shao-Jun
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Du
authors.forename: Dan-Li
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Gen-Shen
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Zi-Kuan
authors.initials: ZK
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Li-Sheng
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chu-Tse
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004261:DNA Replication / Q000187:drug effects*; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D008115:Liver Regeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D017228:Hepatocyte Growth Factor