Evidence for the presence of an inactive precursor of human hepatocyte growth factor in plasma and sera of patients with liver diseases

✍ Scribed by Naokatu Arakaki; Shuichi Kawakami; Osamu Nakamura; Tomokazu Ohnishi; Hiroomi Miyazaki; Takehisa Ishii; Hirohito Tsubouchi; Yasushi Daikuhara

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1995
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 885 KB
• Volume: 22
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0270-9139
• DOI: 10.1002/hep.1840220618

✦ Synopsis

Human hepatocyte growth factor (hHGF), which is now known to be the same protein as the scatter factor and the tumor cytotoxic factor, is a heterodimeric protein with one heavy chain and one light chain linked together by a disulfide bond, and is thought to be involved in liver regeneration. Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot analysis, we found that a significant amount of single chain precursor of hHGF (pro-hHGF) was present in plasma of patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF) and that normal human serum contained a protease or proteases that convert pro-hHGF to a heterodimeric (mature) form of hHGF. We also showed that the processing protease activity for hHGF was suppressed by such serine protease inhibitors as leupeptin, antipain, and aprotinin, and that sera of patients with liver diseases such as fulminant hepatic failure, acute hepatitis, chronic hepatitis, and cirrhosis contained not only pro-hHGF but also the protease. This is the first report showing the presence of pro-hHGF in human blood, and our observations suggest that hHGF is synthesized and secreted from the hHGFproducing cells as an inactive pro-hHGF after hepatic injuries, and the pro-hHGF is then converted to an active heterodimeric form of hHGF in the blood. It is also suggested that plasma of patients with liver diseases Abbreviations: hHGF, human hepatocyte growth factor; FHF, fulminant hepatic failure; ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; cDNA, complementary DNA, CHO, Chinese hamster ovary; rhHGF, recombinant human hepatocyte growth factor.