HGF

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), also known as scatter factor, is a large multidomain protein structurally similar to plasminogen. HGF is secreted as a single inactive polypeptide and is cleaved by serine proteases into a 69-kDa alpha-chain and 34-kDa beta-chain. A disulfide bond between the alpha and beta chains forms the active, heterodimeric molecule. This protein is a powerful endothelial mitogen, motogen, and morphogen, although these effects are not limited to endothelial cells when compared to VEGF. The receptor for HGF is c-met, which is a disulphide linked heterodimer with tyrosine kinase activity.
HGF is expressed in skeletal and cardiac muscle after ischemic injury, and this protein and its receptor c-met are usually overexpressed in a number of tumors. It has been proven that administration of HGF, either as a protein or incorporated into an adenoviral vector, enables to enhance angiogenesis without improved vascular permeability or inflammation. The primary function of HGF is to potentiate the response of developing neurons to specific signals. Apart from improving neurogenesis and oligogliogenesis by neural stem cells, HGF also displays anti-apoptotic functions for neurons and oligodendrocytes and inhibits glial scar generation.
Gene ID: 3082
UniProt ID: P14210