Properties and functions of scatter factor/hepatocyte growth factor and its receptor c-Met.

Scatter factor (SF), a cell motility factor with a multimodular structure, is identical to hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a potent mitogen of various cell types. The receptor for SF/HGF has recently been identified as the c-Met proto-oncogene product, a transmembrane receptor tyrosine kinase. Depending on the target cells and culture conditions, SF/HGF has several distinct activities in vitro, i.e., it induces cell motility, proliferation, invasiveness, tubular morphogenesis, angiogenesis, or cytotoxicity. In vivo, SF/HGF might be involved in tissue regeneration, tumor progression, and embryological processes.