Regulation of scatter factor production via a soluble inducing factor.

Scatter factor (SF) (also known as hepatocyte growth factor [HGF]) is a fibroblast-derived cytokine that stimulates motility, proliferation, and morphogenesis of epithelia. SF may play major roles in development, repair, and carcinogenesis. However, the physiologic signals that regulate its production are not well delineated.

Scatter factor modulates the metastatic phenotype of the EMT6 mouse mammary tumor.

EMT6 is a transplantable mouse mammary tumor cell line that has been utilized widely as a model system to study the effects of various treatments on local tumor growth and pulmonary metastasis. In this study, we examined the cellular mechanisms by which scatter factor (SF), a fibroblast-derived cytokine that stimulates epithelial cell motility, may contribute to tumor-cell dissemination, using the EMT6 model system. In vitro, SF stimulated EMT6 cell motility, invasiveness and cell-surface expression of urokinase (an enzyme required for cell migration through tissue).

Scatter factor and hepatocyte growth factor: activities, properties, and mechanism.

Scatter factor (SF) was first identified as a fibroblast-derived protein which disperses (i.e., "scatters") cohesive colonies of epithelium.

Protein kinase C down-regulation enhances cAMP-mediated induction of urokinase-type plasminogen activator mRNA in LLC-PK1 cells.

Expression of the urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) gene in LLC-PK1 cells can be induced by signals mediated by both cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) and Ca(2+)- and phospholipid-dependent protein kinase (PKC). We have utilized the tumor promoter 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate (TPA) to down-regulate PKC, in order to test for an effect on the PKA-mediated induction of the uPA gene expression. Incubation of cells for 24 h with 100 ng/ml TPA caused a marked decrease of PKC protein, both in cytosolic and particulate fractions, and an 85% reduction of total PKC activity.