ONTOGENY OF HEPATOCYTE GROWTH-FACTOR AND C-MET HGF RECEPTOR IN RAT PANCREAS/

Hepatocyte growth factor has several activities in epithelial cells, i ncluding mitogenesis, dissociation of epithelial sheets, stimulation o f motility, and promotion of matrix invasion. HGF is the ligand of a d imeric transmembrane tyrosine kinase receptor encoded by the met proto -oncogene. The objective of this study was to characterize by Northern blot the HGF and c-met mRNA expression in rat pancreas during develop ment. Our findings show that simultaneous expression of both messenger s occurs during the early development of the rat pancreas. Pancreatic HGF and c-met mRNA levels were higher between late fetal and 11 post-n atal days and then decreased to a very low lever at 26 days. This low level was maintained until the adult age. We conclude that HGF gene ex pression and c-met pancreatic gene expression are age dependent with t he highest expression before weaning. These new data demonstrate that HGF and its receptor may be implicated in normal pancreas development and maturation. (C) 1996 Academic Press, Inc.