The ontogeny of epidermal growth factor receptors during mouse development

Journal Article · Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1984 · Dev. Biol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-1606(84)90007-1· OSTI ID:6879310

Adamson, E D; Meek, J

In an attempt to understand the role(s) of epidermal growth factor (EGF) in vivo during murine development, we have examined the /sup 125/I-EGF binding characteristics of EGF-receptors in membrane preparations of tissues from the 12th day of gestation to parturition. Using autoradiography, the earliest time that we could detect EGF-receptors was on trophoblast cells cultured for 3 days as blastocyst outgrowths. Trophoblast eventually forms a large portion of the placenta, where EGF-receptors have long been recognized. We measured the number and affinity of EGF-receptors on tissues dissected from conceptuses from the 12th day of gestation in order to identify a stage when tissues may be most sensitive to EGF. Whereas the number of EGF receptors increases during gestation for all tissues examined, the affinity of the receptors declines for carcass and placenta and remains relatively unchanged for brain and liver. This suggests that EGF may function differently throughout development. Our hypothesis is that EGF (or its embryonic equivalent) initially stimulates proliferation in embryonic cells and then stimulates differentiation as the tissues mature. In the adult, its main role could be to stimulate tissue repair after damage.

• Research Organization: Cancer Research Center, La Jolla Cancer Research Foundation, California
• OSTI ID: 6879310
• Journal Information: Dev. Biol.; (United States), Vol. 103:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANIMAL GROWTH
BIOCHEMISTRY
CELL DIFFERENTIATION
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
IODINE 125
MICE
PLACENTA
RECEPTORS
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHEMISTRY
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
FETAL MEMBRANES
GROWTH
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
IODINE ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
MAMMALS
MEMBRANES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
RADIOISOTOPES
RODENTS
VERTEBRATES
550801* - Morphology- Tracer Techniques