Fitzgerald Industries International, Inc. HGF alpha antibody 70R-7719

Rabbit polyclonal Rat HGF alpha antibody Background: Hepatocyte Growth factor (HGF) was discovered as a mitogen for hepatocytes. HGF was subsequently found to be identical to the scatter factor, which destroys epithelial cell adhesion and promotes cell movement. Some reports have shown that HGF is expressed in normal and malignant mammary epithelium. HGF has also been reported to promote motility and growth of epithelial cells, to induce morphogenesis of epithelial cells and to promote vascularization. It has been speculated that HGF is involved in the growth and metastasis of cancer cells. The first step in the initiation of HGF action is dependent on its binding to a specific cell surface receptor, the HGF receptor, encoded by the proto-oncogene cmet. It has been suggested that cMet mediates both responses, i.e., promotion of growth and motility of HGF. HGF is synthesized as a 728 amino acid that is processed to generate the mature growth factor consisting of disulfide-linked 69 kDa alpha and 34 kDa beta chains.