Pepsinogen C gene product is a possible growth factor during gastric mucosal healing.

We isolated, by the subtraction cloning method, a pepsinogen C (PGC) gene fragment (the sequence between the 968th and 1179th base pairs) from a rat gastric mucosal cDNA library as a cDNA clone encoding a substance that promotes growth of the normal rat gastric mucosal cell line RGM1. Northern blot analysis revealed that PGC gene expression was enhanced not only in acetic acid-induced chronic gastric ulcers but also in indomethacin-induced gastric mucosal lesions. PGC gene expression was also increased in the Helicobacter felis-infected stomachs. Thus, the PGC gene may play a role in gastric epithelial cell growth during gastric mucosal healing.