Heparin affinity: purification of a tumor-derived capillary endothelial cell growth factor.

A tumor-derived growth factor that stimulates the proliferation of capillary endothelial cells has a very strong affinity for heparin. This heparin affinity makes it possible to purify the growth factor to a single-band preparation in a rapid two-step procedure. The purified growth factor is a cationic polypeptide, has a molecular weight of about 18,000, and stimulates capillary endothelial cell proliferation at a concentration of about 1 nanogram per milliliter.