Hepatoma-Derived Growth Factor: An Overview and Its Role as a Potential Therapeutic Target Molecule for Digestive Malignancies

Autor: Hirayuki Enomoto, Hideji Nakamura, Hiroki Nishikawa, Shuhei Nishiguchi, Hiroko Iijima
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: International Journal of Molecular Sciences, Vol 21, Iss 12, p 4216 (2020)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1422-0067
1661-6596
DOI: 10.3390/ijms21124216
Popis: Hepatoma-derived growth factor (HDGF) was identified in research seeking to find a novel growth factor for hepatoma cells. Subsequently, four HDGF-related proteins were identified, and these proteins are considered to be members of a new gene family. HDGF has a growth-stimulating role, an angiogenesis-inducing role, and a probable anti-apoptotic role. HDGF is ubiquitously expressed in non-cancerous tissues, and participates in organ development and in the healing of damaged tissues. In addition, the high expression of HDGF was reported to be closely associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes in several malignant diseases. Thus, HDGF is considered to contribute to the development and progression of malignant disease. We herein provide a brief overview of the factor and its functions in relation to benign and malignant cells. We also describe its possible role as a target molecule for digestive malignancies.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals