EPIDERMAL GROWTH-FACTOR, BUT NOT HEPATOCYTE GROWTH-FACTOR, SUPPRESSESTHE APOPTOSIS INDUCED BY TRANSFORMING GROWTH-FACTOR-BETA IN FETAL HEPATOCYTES IN PRIMARY CULTURE

We studied whether the TGF-beta-induced apoptosis in fetal hepatocyte primary cultures may be modulated by the presence of mitogenic stimuli , such as EGF or HGF, EGF prevented cell death, shelving a dose depend ence that was identical to that observed for its effect on DNA synthes is stimulation, HGF, in contrast, had no effect, even at high concentr ations, EGF blocked apoptosis, since in the presence of this factor ce lls did not show DNA fragmentation, Moreover, EGF, but not HGF, blocke d c-fos induction associated with the apoptotic process induced by TGF -beta in these cells.