Autonomous growth of BALB/MK keratinocytes transfected with a retroviral vector carrying the human epidermal growth factor gene

Author(s)

Choudhuri, Jomuna V. ^[1] ; Mathor, Monica B. ^[2] ; Silva, Flavia H. ^{[3, 4]} ; Han, Sang W. ^{[4, 1]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Biofis, BR-04044010 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] MQA IPEN CNEN, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Dept Genet, Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

^[4] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Ctr Interdisciplinar Terapia Gen, BR-04044010 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: GENETICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY; v. 31, n. 4, p. 824-828, 2008.
• Web of Science Citations: 2

Abstract

Epidermal growth factor (EGF), which promotes epidermal regeneration and wound closure, is important for the proliferation and differentiation of epidermal and epithelial tissues in animals. Exogenous EGF is a promising therapeutic agent for wound healing, but its general use is restricted by the limited availability of this protein. In this work, we show that the transfection of mouse BALB/MK keratinocytes, which are totally dependent on EGF for growth and migration, with mature cDNA for human EGF via a retroviral vector abolished the cells requirement for exogenous EGF. The transformed cells had normal morphology and a growth rate that varied according to the source of the retroviral vector used. Keratinocyte transfection with EGF cDNA provides a time- and cost-efficient means of culturing keratinocytes and yields cells that may be useful for skin grafting. (AU)