The biology of hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor.

Hepatocyte growth factor, a potent mitogen for epithelial and other cell types, and scatter factor, a stimulant of epithelial cell motility are identical. In addition to these mitogenic and motogenic functions, the factor has been shown to be an epithelial morphogen and also has antiproliferative effects in some cancer cell lines. The membrane receptor for hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor has been identified as the c-met proto-oncogene product.