Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF)

Langhans, Sigrid A.

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-67199-4_101919

Sigrid A. Langhans²

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Synonyms

HOMG4; URG; Urogastrone

Historical Background

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a growth factor best known for its ability to stimulate cell growth and proliferation. EGF was discovered as a result of the initial observations of Stanley Cohen and coworkers in the 1950s (Cohen 1986) in which the injection of extracts from mouse salivary glands into newborn mice resulted in precocious eyelid opening and tooth eruption. Subsequent studies revealed more generalized biological effects of salivary gland extracts, including enhancement of epidermal growth and keratinization. The factor mediating these effects was identified as a 6-kDa peptide of 53 amino acids and was thus named the epidermal growth factor. In later years and independent of these studies, urogastrone, long known as inhibitor of gastric acid secretion, was isolated from urine and found to be the human form of mouse EGF. EGF has now been detected in various additional body fluids and tissues including milk, urine,...

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Authors and Affiliations

Nemours Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Nemours/Alfred I duPont Hospital for Children, 1701 Rockland Road, 19803, Wilmington, DE, USA
Sigrid A. Langhans

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Sigrid A. Langhans
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Correspondence to Sigrid A. Langhans .

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Editors and Affiliations

Department of Molecular Science and Technology, Ajou University, Suwon, Korea
Sangdun Choi

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Langhans, S.A. (2018). Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF). In: Choi, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Signaling Molecules. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67199-4_101919

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67199-4_101919
Published: 01 June 2018
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-67198-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-67199-4
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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