Abstract
Recent studies demonstrating that epidermal growth factor (EGF) has biologic effects in the fetal lamb suggest a role for EGF or the EGF-like transforming growth factors (TGFs) in ovine fetal development. However the presence of EGF or TGF in the ovine fetus has not been established. To determine whether ovine fetal tissues contain EGF or TGF-like activity, an acid-ethanol extract of ovine fetal kidney was tested for the ability to induce growth of rat kidney fibroblasts in soft agar. The fetal kidney extract (20-800 ug protein/ml) stimulated a dose dependent increase in the number of soft agar colonies (≥8 cells). Approximately 70% of these colonies measured ≥ 3750 uM2. The fetal kidney extract was dissolved in 1 M acetic acid and chromatographed on Bio-Gel P10. Two peaks of TGF-like activity, with apparent MW 14K (peak 1) and 8K (peak 2), eluted from the column. Half-maximal effects of pooled peaks 1 and 2 were achieved using 100 and 20 ug protein/ml, respectively. Peaks 1 and 2 also competed with 125I-mouse EGF for binding to EGF receptors in ovine fetal liver but had no activity in a homologous mouse EGF RIA. Neither TGF activity nor EGF receptor binding activity was detected in Bio-Gel fractions co-eluting with 125I-EGF. These findings demonstrate that ovine fetal kidney contains TGF activity. The absence of EGF receptor activity in fractions co-eluting with 125I-EGF suggests that TGF may predominate in the ovine fetus and may play an EGF-like role in ovine fetal development.
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Freemark, M., Comer, M. TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR (TGF) ACTIVITY IN OVINE FETAL KIDNEY: POSSIBLE ROLE FOR TGF IN FETAL DEVELOPMENT. Pediatr Res 21 (Suppl 4), 212 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00277
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00277