HGF/SF in mammary epithelial growth and morphogenesis: in vitro and in vivo models.

HGF/SF is a multifunctional cytokine which through binding to its cellular receptor, c-MET, can elicit mitogenic, morphogenic and motogenic responses in target cells. Expression of HGF/SF and c-MET has been shown to be critical in early embryogenesis affecting development of many organs and tissues. The effects of HGF/SF4 on established human and mouse mammary cell lines have previously been reported. This review describes the source and targets for HGF/SF in both human and mouse mammary tissue and discusses the effects of HGF/SF on primary mouse and human mammary epithelial cells in vitro, detailing the individual response of the two epithelial sub-population of cells which comprise this organ. Additionally, the effects of HGF/SF overexpression on mouse mammary gland development in vivo, are summarized.