肝细胞生长因子及其临床应用研究进展

肝细胞生长因子（Hepatocyte growth factor HGF)是一种血源性促肝细胞生长因子,其作用广泛,如：促进细胞分裂,运行,对肿瘤细胞毒性作用等,并且在肝脏丙生及肝脏疾病的诊断,治疗中有重大潜力。     

肝细胞生长因子在损伤肾组织中的作用

肝细胞生长因子（hepatocyte growth factor．HGF）是一种多效性生长因子,主要由间质细胞产生,通过自分泌和旁分泌方式作用于上皮细胞、内皮细胞以及间质细胞本身,具有促有丝分裂、促细胞形态形成和调节细胞活动的功能,从而对损伤的器官和组织进行修复。许多新的研究显示,在急性肾损伤时给予外源性HGF可以保护肾小管上皮细胞、重建肾小管结构和维持肾功能完整性。此外,HGF还能有效地抑制与慢性肾脏疾病及慢性肾功能衰竭密切相关的肾间质纤维化的进展过程。     

血源性和胞源性肝细胞生长因子对肝再生的调控

肝再生过程中,血源性肝细胞生长因子（ＨＧＦ－ｈ）和胞源性肝细胞生长因子（ＨＧＦ－ｃ）起重要的调控作用。本文通过分析二者与肝再生时相、细胞周期调控基因表达之间的关系,认为它们对肝再生的调控具有时序性。ＨＧＦ－ｈ作为早期信号,启动肝细胞分裂;而ＨＧＦ－ｃ仅作用于感受态细胞,促进其分裂。本文还从促再生作用的器官特异性,重症肝炎的临床治疗以及二者的来源等方面对这一推测加以佐证。     

肝细胞生长因子在神经系统的研究进展

肝细胞生长因子是一多效性细胞因子。在神经系统发育和再生过程中,肝细胞生长因子作为神经营养因子发挥作用。本文就肝细胞生长因子的分子生物学特性以及在神经系统中的分布和生物学作用进行综述。     

乳酸菌促生长因子的研究

乳酸菌属于肠道内的有益菌,对调节人体健康有益,其生长能力和活性受外界条件的影响.促生长因子是一类对微生物生长繁殖具有促进作用的物质,可用于有效提高乳酸菌数量和活性.围绕乳酸菌促生长因子与益生元的关系及其来源、类别和作用机理等方面,综述其在乳酸菌上的研究与应用,并对未来发展方向进行了展望,以期为促生长因子在乳酸菌产业中的...     

肝细胞生长因子

肝细胞生长因子吴青（中山大学生命科学学院,广州５１０２７５）关键词肝细胞生长因子１９８４年,ＭｉｃｈａＬｏｐｏｕｌｏｓ发现部分肝切除后的大鼠血浆中含有一种能刺激肝细胞ＤＮＡ合成的物质,１９８８年Ｇｏｈａｌａ从暴发性肝衰竭病人血浆中分离出类似物质。该类...     

树鼩肝细胞体外分离培养体系的复建及主要影响因素分析

树鼩（Tupaia Belangeri）与人和灵长类亲缘关系较为接近,是乙型肝炎研究中备受关注的小动物模型,而其原代肝细胞的分离和培养则是建立HBV体外感染模型及应用和基础研究的关键的第一步,但由于以往的文献报道均较为简要,需要较长时间的摸索。本研究通过与机械分离法的直接比较,验证了两步灌注法在树鼩肝细胞分离中的优越性。进而发现,在分离后的体外培养过程中,二甲基亚砜不仅能够促进和维持原代肝细胞的分化,而且能够显著地抑制纤维状细胞群的出现。同时,肝细胞生长因子（HGF）和表皮生长因子（EGF）能够促进肝细胞在体外长期存活。在此优化的条件下,原代培养可持续4—5周,并且较多的细胞聚集形成类似肝窦结构的形态,从而为乙型肝炎病毒感染机理研究和药物筛选提供了必备的先决条件,也为丙型肝炎病毒和丁型肝炎病毒及单纯疱疹病毒等研究和药物筛选提供了可能。     

c－met原癌基因编码蛋白与HGF生物学作用的多态性

ｃ－ｍｅｔ原癌基因编码蛋白与ＨＧＦ生物学作用的多态性郭树华,贺福初（军事医学科学院放射医学研究所,北京１００８５０）关键词ｃ－ｍｅｔ原癌基因蛋白,肝细胞生长因子受体,肝细胞生长因子肝细胞生长因子（ｈｅｐａｔｏｃｙｔｅｇｒｏｗｔｈｆａｃ－ｔｏｒ,ＨＧＦ...     

肝细胞生长因子的生物学功能与应用

肝细胞生长因子 (ｈｅｐａｔｏｃｙｔｅｇｒｏｗｔｈｆａｃｔｏｒ,ＨＧＦ)又称扩散因子 (Ｓｃａｔｔｅｒｆａｃａｔｏｒ,ＳＦ) ,最初是从血浆和血小板中纯化获得并认为是一种刺激肝细胞生长增生的有丝分裂原 ,对肝切除或化学损伤后的肝再生起重要作用[1] 。 1984年 ,Ｎａｋａｍｕｒａ等从部分肝切除的大鼠血清中分离到一种能刺激原代培养的肝细胞生长和合成的肝源性因子 ,并首次将它命名为肝细胞生长因子[2 ] 。自从ＨＧＦ的发现至今 ,国内外对其作了许多研究 ,对它的来源、结构、功能乃至基因序列都已有了较为全面、透彻的了解。目前已知Ｈ…     

人肝细胞生长因子cDNA克隆在CHO细胞中的表达

肝细胞生长因子是一种由α、β链组成的杂合二聚体糖蛋白,能促进肝细胞、多种上皮细胞、内皮细胞和神经胶质细胞的有丝分裂,并对多种肿瘤细胞具有细胞毒性作用或者抑制其生长［１～４］,其作用无种属特异性,如人肝细胞生长因子能促进大鼠肝细胞增殖［５］。由于天然Ｈ...     

Hepatocyte growth factor stimulates the growth and activates mitogen-activated protein kinase in human hepatoma cells

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a potent mitogen for hepatocytes and various epithelial cells. Unexpectedly, it has been reported to inhibit the growth of hepatoma cells in vitro. To clarify this phenomenon, we examined the effects of recombinant baculovirus-expressed HGF on the growth of 6 human hepatoma cell lines. The growth of Hep3B and HepG2 cells was markedly stimulated to 1.8- and 1.7-fold, respectively, PLC/PRF/5 to 1.4-fold, and SK-Hep-1 to 1.2-fold in a dose-dependent manner under HGF concentrations below 20 ng/ml. Neither HuH-7 nor HCC36 were affected. None of these cells were inhibited. All these cells expressed c-Met, the membrane receptor for HGF, and their c-Met would be activated to be phosphorylated upon addition of HGF. They also contained the ERK2 subgroup of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs). When HGF was added, their ERK2 would also be phosphorylated. The extent of ERK2 phosphorylation was partially correlated to their growth response to HGF. In conclusion, HGF could stimulate the growth of certain human hepatoma cells, probably through activation of c-Met and MAPKs.     

Treatment with leucine stimulates the production of hepatocyte growth factor in vivo

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has pleiotropic effects. Up-regulation of HGF activity in vivo may be beneficial. Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) are known to modulate various cellular functions. When starved rats received intraperitoneal injections of valine, leucine or isoleucine, only leucine treatment increased both hepatic and circulating levels of HGF in a dose-dependent manner, up to 1.5 and 2.3 times higher, respectively, than in controls. When young growing rats with free access to food were injected with leucine once a day for a week, HGF levels and liver weights were significantly higher than those of control rats. Furthermore, 1 week of leucine treatment of adult rats resulted in elevated serum albumin levels with an increase in HGF levels. Taken together with our previous report showing that leucine stimulates HGF production by hepatic stellate cells in culture, leucine, among BCAAs, may induce an increase in HGF production by the liver in vivo.     

Inhibition of hepatocyte growth factor induction in human dermal fibroblasts by interleukin-1 and its prevention by interferon-gamma

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is one of the vital factors for liver regeneration. HGF production is induced by the activation of protein kinase A and protein kinase C-mediated pathways, interleukin (IL)-1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in mesenchymal cells. We here report that IL-1 and TNF-alpha, hitherto regarded as HGF inducers, potently inhibited HGF production stimulated by other HGF inducers. IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, and TNF-alpha alone had minimal stimulating effects on HGF production in human dermal fibroblasts, but they strongly inhibited production of HGF induced by cholera toxin, 8-bromo-cAMP, EGF, and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Moreover, although the high level of HGF production in MRC-5 cells was enhanced by PMA and less markedly by IL-1beta, HGF production in MRC-5 cells treated with PMA plus IL-1beta was less than that in the cells treated with PMA alone. In the presence of interferon (IFN)-gamma, however, cholera toxin- and 8-bromo-cAMP-induced HGF production was not inhibited by IL-1beta. Pretreatment of cells with IL-1beta suppressed the phosphorylation of cAMP-responsive element-binding protein induced by cholera toxin but not that induced by 8-bromo-cAMP. Taken together, our results indicate that IL-1 inhibited HGF production stimulated by various inducers, including protein kinase A-activating agents, and that IFN-gamma overcame this inhibition of induction of HGF production.     

CCl4-induced acute liver injury in mice is inhibited by hepatocyte growth factor overexpression but stimulated by NK2 overexpression

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) inhibits acute liver injury. NK2 acts as an antagonist to HGF in vitro, but its in vivo function has reached no consensus conclusions. We have investigated in vivo effects of HGF and NK2 on CCl4-induced acute liver injury. Elevation of the serum alanine aminotransferase level and extension of centrilobular necrosis were inhibited in HGF transgenic mice but were promoted in NK2 transgenic mice. Hepatocyte proliferation after liver injury was not inhibited in NK2 transgenic mice. Thus, this study indicates that HGF inhibits liver injury, and NK2 antagonizes HGF on liver injury, however, NK2 may not antagonize HGF on hepatocyte proliferation.     

Leucine stimulates the secretion of hepatocyte growth factor by hepatic stellate cells

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) modulate various cellular functions, in addition to providing substrates for the production of proteins. In this study, we examined the effect of BCAAs on the secretion of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) by hepatic stellate cells. A hepatic stellate cell clone was cultured in medium supplemented with various concentrations of valine, leucine, or isoleucine. Of these BCAAs, leucine markedly induced an increase in the levels of HGF in the medium in a dose-dependent manner. The addition of valine or isoleucine had no significant effect on HGF levels in the medium. The difference in levels of HGF in the medium between leucine-treated and non-treated cells was enhanced by the incubation period. These results demonstrate that, among BCAAs, leucine stimulates the secretion of HGF by cultured hepatic stellate cells.     

Synergistic induction of hepatocyte growth factor in human skin fibroblasts by the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1 and interferon-gamma

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is one of the vital factors for wound healing. HGF expression markedly increases in wounded skin and is mainly localized in dermal fibroblasts. HGF expression level in human dermal fibroblasts in vitro, however, is low and thus may be stimulated by some factors in the process of wound healing. Candidates of the factors are inflammatory cytokines released by polymorphonuclear and mononuclear cells infiltrating the wounded area, but HGF production in human dermal fibroblasts is only slightly induced by interleukin (IL)-1, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha or interferon (IFN)-gamma. We here report that a combination of IL-1beta and IFN-gamma or a combination of TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma very markedly induced HGF production. The synergistic effect of the former was more marked than that of the latter. Synergistic effects of IL-1beta and IFN-gamma were observed at more than 10 pg/ml and 10 IU/ml, respectively, and were detectable as early as 12 h after addition. Neither IFN-alpha nor IFN-beta was able to replace IFN-gamma. HGF mRNA expression was also synergistically upregulated by IL-1beta and IFN-gamma. IL-1beta plus IFN-gamma-induced synergistic production of HGF was potently inhibited by treatment of cells with the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) kinase inhibitor PD98059 and the p38 inhibitor SB203580 but not by the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor SP600125. Taken together, our results indicate that a combination of IL-1beta and IFN-gamma synergistically induced HGF production in human dermal fibroblasts and suggest that activation of ERK and p38 but not of JNK is involved in the synergistic effect.     

The emerging role of hepatocyte growth factor in renal diseases

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a kringle-containing polypeptide, acts on various epithelial cells to regulate cell growth, cell motility, and morphogenesis. HGF also accelerates tissue regeneration of injured organs and is regarded as a key molecule in organ regeneration. Besides the regeneration of the liver, HGF also plays a role in the renal regeneration. In addition, an adaptive alteration of HGF status in various renal diseases occurs. However, the precise role of HGF in various renal diseases remains elusive. The signaling pathways of HGF may be associated with renal diseases. In this review, we will try to provide an in-depth understanding of the underlying role of HGF and its possible interactions with other molecules in renal diseases.     

Hepatocyte growth factor exerts a proliferative effect on oval cells through the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a potent mitogen for a variety of cells including hepatocytes. While rat oval cells are supposed to be one of hepatic stem cells, biological effects of HGF on oval cells and their relevant signal transduction pathways remain to be determined. We sought to investigate them on OC/CDE22 rat oval cells, which are established from the liver of rats fed a choline-deficient/DL-ethionine-supplemented diet. The oval cells were cultured on fibronectin-coated dishes and stimulated with recombinant HGF, transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha), and thrombopoietin (TPO) under the serum-free medium condition. HGF treatment enhanced [3H]thymidine incorporation into oval cells in a dose-dependent manner. On the contrary, treatment with TGF-alpha or TPO had no significant effects on [3H]thymidine incorporation into the oval cells. c-Met protein was phosphorylated at the tyrosine residues after the HGF treatment. AKT, extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), and p70(s6k) were simultaneously activated after the HGF stimulation, peaking at 30min after the treatment. The activation of AKT, p70(s6k), and ERK1/2 induced by HGF was abolished by pre-treatment with LY294002, a phosphoinositide 3-OH kinase (PI3K) inhibitor, and U0126, a mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase (MEK) inhibitor, respectively. When the cells were pre-treated with LY294002 prior to the HGF stimulation, the proliferative action of HGF was completely abrogated, implying that the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway is responsible for the biological effect of HGF. These in vitro data indicate that HGF exerts a proliferative action on hepatic oval cells via activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.     

Molecular targeting of hepatocyte growth factor by an antagonist,NK4, in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Introduction

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a potent proangiogenic molecule that induces neovascularization. The HGF antagonist, NK4, competitively antagonizes HGF binding to its receptor. In the present study, we determined the inhibitory effect of NK4 in a rheumatoid arthritis (RA) model using SKG mice.

Methods

Arthritis was induced in SKG mice by a single intraperitoneal injection of β-glucan. Recombinant adenovirus containing NK4 cDNA (AdCMV.NK4) was also injected intravenously at the time of or 1 month after β-glucan injection. Ankle bone destruction was examined radiographically. The histopathologic features of joints were examined using hematoxylin and eosin and immunohistochemical staining. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to determine the serum levels of HGF, interferon γ (IFN-γ, interleukin 4 (IL-4) and IL-17 production by CD4⁺ T cells stimulated with allogeneic spleen cells.

Results

The intravenous injection of AdCMV.NK4 into SKG mice suppressed the progression of β-glucan-induced arthritis. Bone destruction was also inhibited by NK4 treatment. The histopathologic findings of the ankles revealed that angiogenesis, inflammatory cytokines and RANKL expression in synovial tissues were significantly inhibited by NK4 treatment. Recombinant NK4 (rNK4) proteins inhibited IFN-γ, IL-4 and IL-17 production by CD4⁺ T cells stimulated with allogeneic spleen cells.

Conclusions

These results indicate that NK4 inhibits arthritis by inhibition of angiogenesis and inflammatory cytokine production by CD4⁺ T cells. Therefore, molecular targeting of angiogenic inducers by NK4 can potentially be used as a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of RA.