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Control of Cell Proliferation and Cytodifferentiation by a Factor reacting with the Cell Surface

Nature New Biology volume 246, pages 49–52 (1973)Cite this article

Abstract

The normal embryological development of many, if not all, organs depends on interactions between epithelial and mesenchymal tissues1. Some epithelial components require their own mesenchyme, while others, for example pancreatic epithelia, develop with any of a variety of mesenchymes1, 2. We have reported that extracts from mesenchymal tissues will replace intact tissue in the normal development of rat pancreatic epithelia in vitro2–5. The causal activity present in these extracts has been termed mesenchymal factor (MF). This activity appears to be a specific component of embryonic mesenchymal tissue; it has been detected only in extracts of tissues rich in mesenchyme and in tissue culture cells derived from mesenchyme5. No activity has been detected in extracts of epithelial cells, in a variety of adult tissues and in several embryonic organs such as liver, brain or heart. None of the common hormones or growth factors tested has MF activity2, 5. MF has been purified from chicken embryos and has the characteristics of a glycoprotein (ref. 5 and unpublished results). In addition to its reported effects on cytodifferentiation (refs 2–5 and unpublished results), we have recently shown that MF dramatically stimulates epithelial DNA synthesis and cell proliferation5.

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  1. Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, 94143

    STEVEN LEVINE, RAYMOND PICTET & WILLIAM J. RUTTER

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  1. STEVEN LEVINE
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  3. WILLIAM J. RUTTER
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LEVINE, S., PICTET, R. & RUTTER, W. Control of Cell Proliferation and Cytodifferentiation by a Factor reacting with the Cell Surface. Nature New Biology 246, 49–52 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/newbio246049a0

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