• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.73-78
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• 2020

Cancer incidence has been increasing steadily and is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. Gastric cancer is still most common malignancy in Korea. Cancer initiation and progression are multistep processes involving various growth factors and their ligands. Among these growth factors, we have studied hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), which is associated with cell proliferation and invasion, leading to cancer and metastasis, especially in gastric cancer. We explored the intercellular communication between HGF and other surface membrane receptors in gastric cancer cell lines. Using complimentary deoxyribonucleic acid microarray technology, we found new genes associated with HGF in the stomach cancer cell lines, NUGC-3 and MKN-28, and identified their function within the HGF pathway. The HGF/N-methyl-N'-nitroso-guanidine human osteosarcoma transforming gene (c-MET) axis interacts with several molecules including E-cadherin, urokinase plasminogen activator, KiSS-1, Jun B, and lipocalin-2. This pathway may affect cell invasion and metastasis or cell apoptosis and is therefore associated with tumorigenesis and metastasis in gastric cancer.

• Journal of Genetic Medicine
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.78-83
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• 2012

Purpose: The aim of this nested case-control study was to investigate the association between hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) concentrations in maternal plasma and the risk of developing preeclampsia. Materials and Methods: Plasma HGF concentration were measured in 52 women who subsequently developed preeclampsia and 104 normal pregnant women at the time of genetic amniocentesis (15-20 weeks) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Maternal plasma HGF concentrations were significantly higher in women with subsequent preeclampsia (median: 737.8 ng/mL vs. 670.4 ng/mL, P=0.003) than in normal controls. However, HGF concentrations were not significantly different between subgroups by preeclamptic complications. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, women with HGF concentrations ${\geq}702.5ng/mL$ had a 3.2-fold increased risk (95% CI 2.7-5.4, P<0.001) of subsequent development of preeclampsia compared with women with HGF concentrations <702.5 ng/mL. Conclusion: Elevated maternal plasma HGF concentrations in the early second-trimester are associated with an increased risk of developing preeclampsia.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.291-295
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• 2010

The onset, severity, and ultimate outcome of malaria infection are influenced by parasite-expressed virulence factors and individual host responses to these determinants, In both humans and mice, liver injury is involved after parasite entry, which persists until the erythrocyte stage after infection with the fatal strain Plasmodium falciparum (Pf), Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) has strong anti-apoptotic effects in various kinds of cells, and also has diverse metabolic functions. In this work, Pf-subtilisin-like protease 2 (Pf-Sub2) 5' untranslated region (UTR) was analyzed and its transcriptional activity was estimated by luciferase expression. Fourteen TATA boxes were observed but only one Oct-1 and c-Myb were done. In addition, host HGF interaction with Pf-Sub2 was evaluated by co-transfection of HGF- and Pf-Sub2-cloned vector. Interestingly, -1,422/+12 UTR exhibited the strongest luciferase activity but -329 to + 12 UTR did not exhibit luciferase activity. Moreover, as compared with the control of unexpressed HGF, the HGF protein suppressed luciferase expression driven by the 5' untranslated region of the Pf-Sub2 promoter. Taken together, it is suggested that HGF controls and interacts with the promoter region of the Pf-Sub2 gene.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2009

Objectives : To investigate the effects of DL-HGF to hair growth activity in mouse, various kinds of ethosome and liposome formulations entrapped DL-HGF were produced and this study was carried out. Methods : The B16/BL6 mice were classified into five groups: vehicle control (Con) group, Et-1-applied group, Et-2-applied group, LP-1-applied group, LP-2-applied group. Active hair growth (anagen) was induced in the back skin by application of a waxosin mixture with subsequent depilation and the activity of hair growth was measured by macroscopic observation and histology. Results : In vehicle control group, there was no hair growth activity during experiment period. In Et-1-applied group, the rate of hair growth was about 100%, LP-1-applied group and Et-2-applied group showed 70-80% and 40-50% of hair growth rates, respectively. The rate of hair growth of LP-2-applied group was lower than other applied groups (20-30%). In H/E staining, Numerous hair folicles and hair shafts were observed in Et-1-applied group and other groups showed lower level of hair folicles and hair shafts formation than Et-1-applied group, Conclusion : Et-1 formulation showed highest hair growth activity than other ethosome and liposome formulations entrapped DL-HGF.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1176-1184
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• 2013

Anti-hepatocyte growth factor (anti-HGF) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are potential therapeutics against various cancers. Screening for high-producer clones is a time-consuming and complex process and is a major hurdle in the development of therapeutic mAbs. Here, we describe an efficient approach that allows the selection of high-producer Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines producing the novel anti-HGF mAb SFN68, which was generated previously by immunizing HGF bound to its receptor c-Met. We selected an SFN68-producing parental cell line via transfection of the dihydrofolate reductase-deficient CHO cell line DG44, which was preadapted to serum-free suspension culture, with an SFN68-expression vector. Subsequent gene amplification via multiple passages of the parental cell line in a methotrexate-containing medium over 4 weeks, followed by clonal isolation, enabled us to isolate two cell lines, 2F7 and 2H4, with 3-fold higher specific productivity. We also screened 72 different media formulated with diverse feed and basal media to develop a suboptimized medium. In the established suboptimized medium, the highest anti-HGF mAb yields of the 2F7 and 2H4 clones were 842 and 861 mg/l, respectively, which were about 10.5-fold higher than that of the parental cell line in a non-optimized basal medium. The selected CHO cell lines secreting high titers of SFN68 would be useful for the production of sufficient amounts of antibodies for efficacy evaluation in preclinical and early clinical studies.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.569-574
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• 2012

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of exercise on oxidative stress, nerve growth, and hepatocyte growth factors in obese children. After 12 weeks of aerobic exercise training, the aforementioned parameters before and after the training were compared. As a result, the nerve growth factor (NGF) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) were shown to be lower in the OT than in the NT before and after the training, respectively ($p$ <0.05). The NGF was shown to have increased in both groups after the training ($p$ <0.05). The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) was shown to be higher in the OT than in the NT before the training ($p$ <0.05), with no difference found afterwards. The malondialdehyde (MDA), ox-LDL, and 8-OHdG (Oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine) were shown to be higher in the OT than in the NT ($p$ <0.05). For ox-LDL, a difference was found between before and after the training ($p$ <0.05). The results of this study showed that obesity induced oxidative stress and caused the abnormalities of nerve and HGF secretion in obese children, and that the 12 weeks of aerobic exercise increased NGF levels, thereby promoting the development of neurogenesis in children.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.9 no.12
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• pp.81-88
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• 2018

Human gingival fibroblast (HGF) is the main cell type existed in periodontium and produces a variety of inflammatory mediators by external stimuli. In this study, the anti-inflammatory activity of Porphyra yezoensis ethanol extract (PYEE) on LPS-PG lipopolysaccharide from Porphyromonas gingivalis activated HGF-1 cell. Up-regulated iNOS and COX-2 expressions by LPS-PG were significantly attenuated by PYEE treatment in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, activated nuclear factor $(NF)-{\kappa}B$ was also dose-dependently inhibited by PYEE treatment. Among upstream signaling molecules, PYEE treatment inhibited phosphorylation of c-Jun $NH_2$-terminal kinase (JNK) but did not give any effect on other molecules. On the other hand, one of phase II enzymes, NAD(P)H:quinone dehydrogenase (NQO)-1, was analyzed due to its anti-inflammatory activity, which was upregulated by PYEE treatment. Consequently, PYEE could be candidates for the prevention and treatment of periodontal diseases.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.243-254
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• 2002

For the purpose of evaluating the biocompatability of 3 kinds of metallic materials frequently used in pediatric dentistry (stainless steel crown, orthodontic band, orthodontic wire), cellular and molecular studies, including cell growth and proliferation, screening of cell death with determination of types whether necrosis or apoptosis and changes in expressions of related signaling molecules were examined, using cultured human gingival fibroblasts (HGF-1), HGF-1 was cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium. among which the 3rd to 6th generations of HGF-1 were used. The specimen were divided into stainless steel crown (R), band (B) and wire (W). The immunocytochemical study was done for the detection of anti-PCNA (proliferating cell nuclear antigen) labeling. With extracted protein, western blot was done for the detection of ERK1/2, JNK, and p38, using individual antibodies. Cultured cells proliferated, remarkably till 7 day and slightly at 11 day. There was no statistical significance in the counts of proliferating HGF-1 between control and experimental groups (p>0.05). Relative growth rates were no statistically significant difference between control and experimental groups (p>0.05). PCNA labeling indexes showing similar patterns in control and experimental groups. The expressions of ERK1 and ERK2, p38 were similar in control and experimental groups. The expression of JNK increased at 1st day, slightly decreased at 4th day and markedly increased at 7th and 11 day. Although the patterns of control and experimental groups were similar, the increased expressions of JNK at late period suggest a possible stress due to inhibited cell growth and proliferation, and worse culture condition. Conclusively, the 3 kinds of metal specimens used in this study did not induce cellular and molecular hazards during short term culture of HGF-1. But, for the better clinical stability, the establishment of long period culture and animal experiment was thought necessary.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.35 no.1 s.136
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• pp.62-79
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• 2004

Cell-scattering is a phenotypic change easily observed in most epithelial cells treated with Hepatocyte Growth Factor /scatter Factor (HGF/SF) or phorbol esters (PKC-activators). Recent studies have shown the possibilities to use as therapeutic materials of HGF/SF or non tumor promoting phorbol esters for liver disease, cancer and AIDS. In this study, we tested a cell-scattering activity of 534 methanol extracts from plants inhabiting in Korean peninsula using the phenotype-based assay system. Nine Active extracts were detected : Daphne genkwa, Daphne kiusiana, and Aleurites fordii showed high activity (+++), Euphorbia sieboldiana and Rhodotypos scandens showed medium activity (++), Sambucus sieboldiana var. pendula, Catalpa bignonioides, Sambucus sieboldiana and Lycoris squamigera showed low activity (+). Furthermore, the effects of these active materials in the culture cells were investigated with biochemical studies.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.65-75
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• 2003

Objectives: To investigate the role of TGF (Transforming growth factor-$\beta$) involved in the paracrinic communication during decidualization between UEC (uterine epithelial cells) and USC (uterine stromal cells), we have employed a co-culture system composed of human endometrial epithelial and stromal cells in defined hormonal conditions. Design: In the co-culture, endometrial epithelial cells cultured in the matrigel-coated cell culture insert are seeded on top of the endometrial stromal cells cultured within a collagen gel. The co-culture was maintained for 48 hours under the following hormonal conditions: progesterone dominant condition (100 nM P4 and 1 nM E2) or estrogen-dominant condition (100 nM E2 and 1 nM P4). 10 ng/ ml HGF and/or 10 ng/ml TGF-$\beta$1 are added. Methods: RT-PCR is utilized to detect mRNAs quantitatively. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunohistochemical staining are utilized to detect proteins in the tissue. Results: Prolactin mRNA is expressed in the co-cultured stromal cells under the progesterone dominant condition. TGF-$\beta$1 and its receptors are expressed in both the co-cultured epithelial and stromal cells irrespective of the steroid present, which is in contrast with no or negligible expression of TGF-$\beta$1 or its receptor in cells separately cultured. Both estrogen and progesterone significantly elevate the concentration of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in the conditioned medium of the co-culture with the value of 4, 325 pg/ml in E2-dominant and 2, 000 pg/ml in P4-dominant condition compare to 150 pg/ml in no hormone. In separately cultured stromal cells, administration of HGF induces the expression of TGF receptor 1 in both hormonal conditions, but induction of TGF receptor 2 is only manifest in the P4-dominant condition. Administration of TGF-$\beta$ and HGF directly induce the decidualization marker prolactin mRNA in separately cultured stromal cells. Conclusion: It is likely that steroid hormones induces prolactin mRNA indirectly by promoting the cell to cell communication between the stromal and the epithelial cells. TGF-$\beta$ and HGF are two possible paracrine mediators in the human endometrial decidualization.