Possible involvement of neutrophils in a serum level increase of hepatocyte growth factor in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Serum levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a potent angiogenic factor, increase during various haematological malignancies. In this study, we examined serum HGF in 59 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Serum HGF levels in NHL patients were increased, as were levels in patients with multiple myeloma, chronic myeloproliferative disorders, and myelodysplastic syndrome.

Identification of cis-elements regulating expression of Fgf10 during limb development.

Fibroblast growth factor 10 (FGF10) is known to be expressed in limb mesenchymal cells and to function as a mesenchymal signaling factor involved in epithelial-mesenchymal interactions during limb development. To elucidate regulation of Fgf10 expression, we isolated the promoter region of Fgf10 containing its 2.0 kb upstream 5'-fragment from the initiation codon and its 0.

Osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1) expression and processing in Chinese hamster ovary cells: isolation of a soluble complex containing the mature and pro-domains of OP-1.

We have characterized the expression and processing of Osteogenic Protein-1 (hOP-1), a bone morphogenic protein of the TGF-beta family, in Chinese hamster ovary cells. The hOP-1 is initially synthesized as a monomeric 50 kDa pro-protein that is dimerized, glycosylated, and then proteolytically cleaved at the Arg-Xaa-Xaa-Arg maturation site in an acidic cellular compartment before secretion into the medium. Of the four potential N-linked glycosylation sites two are used, one in the mature domain and one in the pro-domain.

Recombinant human osteogenic protein-1 (hOP-1) induces new bone formation in vivo with a specific activity comparable with natural bovine osteogenic protein and stimulates osteoblast proliferation and differentiation in vitro.

We reported previously that a 32-36-kDa osteogenic protein purified from bovine bone matrix is composed of dimers of two members of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta superfamily: the bovine equivalent of human osteogenic protein-1 (OP-1) and bone morphogenetic protein-2a, BMP-2a (BMP-2). In the present study, we produced the recombinant human OP-1 (hOP-1) in mammalian cells as a processed mature disulfide-linked homodimer with an apparent molecular weight of 36,000. Examination of hOP-1 in the rat subcutaneous bone induction model demonstrated that hOP-1 was capable of inducing new bone formation with a specific activity comparable with that exhibited by highly purified bovine osteogenic protein preparations.

Expression of human uterine tissue-type plasminogen activator in mouse cells using BPV vectors.

Human tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) cDNA was cloned from uterine tissue and engineered in expression vectors for production in mouse C127 cells. The vectors consisted of the bovine papilloma virus-1 (BPV-1) genome and t-PA transcriptional unit with a mouse metallothionein (MT-1) promoter at the 5' end and MT-1 genomic sequences or SV40 early introns and polyadenylation signals at the 3' end. Analysis of the expression vectors transfected into cells revealed that t-PA is expressed 100- to 200-fold more with an intronless vector utilizing the SV40 polyadenylation signal than with other, intron-containing vectors.