HGF (Hepatocyte Growth Factor)
A pleiotropic cytokine involved in cell growth, motility, and morphogenesis, with key roles in development, tissue repair, and cancer progression.
Gene Information Card
| Symbol | HGF |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Hepatocyte Growth Factor |
| Gene Type | Protein coding |
| Chromosomal Location | 7q21.11 |
| NCBI Gene ID | 3082 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3082 |
| Ensembl ID | ENSG00000019991 |
| UniProt ID | P14210 |
| OMIM ID | 142409 |
| HGNC ID | 4893 |
| Aliases | SF, HGFB, HPTA, scatter factor |
Description
The HGF gene encodes hepatocyte growth factor, a paracrine cytokine that binds to the MET receptor tyrosine kinase. It regulates cell proliferation, migration, survival, and morphogenesis during embryonic development and tissue regeneration. Dysregulation of HGF-MET signaling is implicated in various cancers, including lung, breast, and gastric carcinomas, as well as in ciliopathies and renal diseases.
Disease Associations
| Disease category | Pathophysiological mechanism | Genomic evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Hepatocellular carcinoma | HGF overexpression activates MET signaling, promoting tumor growth and metastasis | ClinVar, COSMIC |
| Non-small cell lung cancer | HGF-MET autocrine loop drives invasion and resistance to EGFR inhibitors | ClinVar, COSMIC |
| Renal cell carcinoma | HGF stimulates MET-mediated proliferation and angiogenesis | ClinVar |
| Breast cancer | Elevated HGF correlates with poor prognosis and metastatic potential | COSMIC |
| Gastric cancer | HGF amplification and MET activation linked to aggressive phenotype | COSMIC |
| Primary ciliary dyskinesia | HGF mutations disrupt ciliary function and left-right patterning | OMIM |
Expression Profile
Tissue Expression
| Tissue | nTPM | level |
|---|---|---|
| Liver | 0.4 | Low |
| Lung | 0.3 | Low |
| Kidney | 0.2 | Low |
| Placenta | 0.1 | Low |
| Prostate | 0.1 | Low |
| Pancreas | 0.1 | Low |
Cell Line Expression
| Cell Line | nTPM | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| HepG2 | 0.1 | Hepatocellular carcinoma cell line |
| A549 | 0.2 | Lung adenocarcinoma cell line |
| MCF7 | 0.1 | Breast cancer cell line |
| HEK293 | 0.1 | Embryonic kidney cell line |
Data source：Human Protein Atlas（proteinatlas.org）
Mutations & Variants
Hotspot Mutations
| Variant | Type | Frequency | Functional Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| c.482G>A (p.Arg161Gln) | Missense | <0.01% | Reduced MET binding affinity |
| c.1285C>T (p.Arg429*) | Nonsense | <0.01% | Loss of function, truncated protein |
| c.2081C>T (p.Pro694Leu) | Missense | <0.01% | Unknown effect |
| c.1A>G (p.Met1?) | Start loss | <0.01% | Loss of translation initiation |
Mutation functional classification
Loss of Function (LOF)
Nonsense and start-loss mutations (e.g., p.Arg429*, p.Met1?) lead to truncated or absent HGF protein, impairing MET signaling and developmental processes.
Gain of Function (GOF)
Missense mutations that enhance HGF stability or receptor binding (e.g., p.Arg161Gln) may increase MET activation, though rare; amplification of the HGF locus is more common in cancers.
Dominant Negative (DN)
No well-characterized dominant-negative HGF mutations reported; however, engineered HGF variants can act as competitive inhibitors of MET binding.
View complete mutation data：
Gene Ontology (GO)
| • GO:0008083: growth factor activity | • GO:0005102: signaling receptor binding |
| • GO:0005615: extracellular space | • GO:0007165: signal transduction |
| • GO:0008284: positive regulation of cell population proliferation | • GO:0016477: cell migration |
| • GO:0048011: hepatocyte growth factor receptor signaling pathway |
Pathways
• HGF-MET signaling pathway (Reactome: R-HSA-6806834)
• Signaling by MET (Reactome: R-HSA-8875878)
• Proteoglycans in cancer (KEGG: hsa05205)
• Pathways in cancer (KEGG: hsa05200)
Protein Summary
Hepatocyte growth factor is synthesized as a single-chain precursor (pro-HGF) and cleaved into a biologically active heterodimer consisting of an alpha chain (69 kDa) and a beta chain (34 kDa) linked by a disulfide bond. The alpha chain contains four kringle domains, while the beta chain has a serine protease-like domain. HGF binds to the MET receptor, inducing dimerization and autophosphorylation, which activates downstream pathways including PI3K/AKT, MAPK, and STAT3. The protein is primarily produced by mesenchymal cells and acts on epithelial and endothelial cells.
Related Services
Related Products
| Product name | Cat.No. | Species | Gene ID | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HGFAC Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ4864 | Human | 3083 | Details Get a Quote |
| HGF Knockout HEK293 Cell Line | EDC07565 | Human | 3082 | Details Get a Quote |
| HGF Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ53514 | Human | 3082 | Details Get a Quote |
| HGFAC Knockout HeLa Cell Line | EDJ-KQ53515 | Human | 3083 | Details Get a Quote |
| HGF Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ61982 | Human | 3082 | Details Get a Quote |
| HGFAC Knockout A-549 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ61983 | Human | 3083 | Details Get a Quote |
| HGF Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ70465 | Human | 3082 | Details Get a Quote |
| HGFAC Knockout HCT 116 Cell Line | EDJ-KQ70466 | Human | 3083 | Details Get a Quote |
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