HUMAN EPIDERMAL GROWTH FACTOR (EGF)

Human EGF is produced as a long precursor protein of 1207 amino acids which is released by proteolytic cleavage to give a globular protein of 6.4kDa consisting of 53 amino acids. (1) EGF contains three intramolecular disuphide bonds, which are essential for its biological activity. It is also known as Human Milk Growth Factor (HMGF), Prostatic Growth Factor (PGF) and Urogastone. EGF is produced by various organs including the brain, kidney, salivary gland and stomach, and is found in nearly all bodily fluids at low levels and at higher levels in saliva, milk, semen and urine. (2) EGF has been shown to be elevated in patients with brain tumours and to induce differentiation in tumour cell lines. Also, many epithelial cancers over-express the EGF receptor. Tumour aggressiveness is also associatedwith increased expression of EGF receptors. This expression is also high in invasive and disseminated tumours, therefore many strategies to block the EGF receptor have been studied in an attempt to inhibit tumour proliferation. (3-6) It has also been proposed that EGF plays an important role in male infertility, as there is a correlation between the level of circulating EGF, and the number of spermatids in the testis. (7)

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