The Steel (Sl) locus encodes mast cell growth factor (Mgf) that is required for the development of germ cells, hematopoietic cells and melanocytes. Although the expression patterns of the Mgf gene are well characterized, little is known of the factors which regulate its expression. Here, we describe the cloning and sequence of the full-length transcription unit and the 5' flanking region of the...

T he sequencing of the human genome showed that there are only about 40 000 genes. However, there are many more proteins. This is because some genes are spliced to produce different protein/peptides which usually have different biological functions. Combining physiological and molecular biology methods made it possible for our team to identify and characterise a local muscle growth/repair facto...

Freeze-thaw injuries of rabbit corneas were treated with mesodermal growth factor (MGF) in organ culture and the repair of the endothelium followed by light microscopic examination of endothelial whole mounts. MGF-treated corneas showed an increased number of mitotic figures. In addition, MGF accelerated the rate of cell hypertrophy, formation of spindle-shaped cells, and the rate of their migr...

Previously, we found that 25 to 50 IU/kg of dietary vitamin E (VE) had very different immunoregulatory effects than high VE levels (200 IU/kg), and we hypothesized that this difference was due to different cytokine profiles. Chicks were fed 0, 30, or 200 IU/kg supplemental VE and percentages of CD4+CD8-, CD4-CD8+, CD4+CD8+, and CD4-CD8- lymphocytes, and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ lymphocytes was de...

The replating capability of human multipotential (colony-forming unit-granulocyte-erythrocyte-macrophage-megakaryocyte [CFU-GEMM]) and erythroid (burst-forming unit-erythroid [BFU-E]) progenitors was assessed in vitro as a potential measure of self-renewal using purified, recombinant (r) human (hu) or murine (mu) mast cell growth factor (MGF), a ligand for the c-kit proto-oncogene receptor. Pri...

The study of the underlying mechanisms by which cells respond to mechanical stimuli, i.e. the link between the mechanical stimulus and gene expression, represents a new and important area in the morphological sciences. Several cell types ('mechanocytes'), e.g. osteoblasts and fibroblasts as well as smooth, cardiac and skeletal muscle cells are activated by mechanical strain and there is now mou...

To test the hypothesis that the c-kit ligand plays an important role in the regulation of early events occurring during human hematopoiesis, we determined the effect of a recombinant form of c-kit ligand, termed mast cell growth factor (MGF), on the high-proliferative potential colony-forming cell (HPP-CFC) and the cell responsible for initiating long-term hematopoiesis in vitro (LTBMIC). MGF a...

BACKGROUND Growth factors play important roles in wound healing. However, the evidence for the effects of growth factors on post-thyroidectomy scars is limited. OBJECTIVE We performed a prospective study to assess the preventive and therapeutic effect of a multi-growth factor (MGF)-containing cream on post-thyroidectomy scars. METHODS Twenty-one patients with thyroidectomy scars applied MGF...