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Updated: Aug 4, 2026

A Simple Bioassay for the Evaluation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
Published on: March 15, 2016
A heparin-binding growth factor secreted by macrophage-like cells that is related to EGF
S Higashiyama1, J A Abraham, J Miller
1Department of Surgical Research, Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115.
Abstract:
Macrophage-like U-937 cells secrete a 22-kilodalton heparin-binding growth factor that is mitogenic for BALB-3T3 fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells, but not endothelial cells. The amino acid sequence predicted from complementary DNA clones indicates that the mitogen is a new member of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family. This heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) binds to EGF receptors on A-431 epidermoid carcinoma cells and smooth muscle cells, but is a far more potent mitogen for smooth muscle cells than is EGF. HB-EGF is also expressed in cultured human macrophages and may be involved in macrophage-mediated cellular proliferation.
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