[A comparative analysis of the biological activity of an acid-extractable brain protein and fibroblast growth...

An acid-soluble protein was isolated from bovine brain tissue using a combination of 5% HClO4 acidic extraction, cation-exchange chromatography and heparin-Sepharose affinity chromatography. This preparation had a biological activity similar to that of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF). It has stimulated neurite outgrowth in organotypic culture of chicken embryo dorsal root ganglia and also has stimulated a proliferation of human embryonic fibroblasts in the culture. The biological activity of isolated preparation was totally inhibited by anti-bFGF antibodies, while anti-aFGF antibodies had no effect. The bFGF showed a neurite stimulating activity in the organotypic culture that was completely abolished by the anti-bFGF, IgG, while the aFGF was inactive. This data, as well as cationic properties of isolated protein and its heparin-binding ability, enable us to postulate a high degree of homology of the brain acid-soluble protein and the bFGF. At the same time the relations of the isolated growth factor and other brain-derived heparin-binding growth factors are yet to be established.