Hepatocyte Growth Factor Activates Mucin Synthesis in Human Alveolar Epithelial Cells

Abstract

In spite of the importance of mucus in the airways, less is known about mucin metabolism than is required by physicians caring for patients experiencing excessive mucus production. The NCI-H292 cell, a human airway epithelial cell line, is currently being used as a model system for studying regulation of mucin metabolism. In this paper, we investigated the effects of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) on mucin biosynthesis and the expression of HGF and its receptor in the NCI-H292 cells. 3 H-labeled macromolecules, which were obtained from the cell extracts and culture medium incubated for 24 h with [ 3 H]glucosamine, were identified as mucin by analysis using cesium chloride equilibrium gradient centrifugation. HGF enhanced the incorporation of [ 3 H]glucosamine into the mucin in both the cell extract and the medium. Analysis by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction revealed that NCI-H292 cells expressed HGF receptor mRNA but not HGF mRNA. These results demonstrate that HGF has a direct effect on mucin biosynthesis in NCI-H292 cells, suggesting the regulatory role of HGF on respiratory mucin metabolism.