Role of fibronectin as a growth factor for fibroblasts.

作者：Peter B. Bitterman, Stephen I. Rennard, Steven A. Adelberg, Ronald G. Crystal · 发表于：The Journal of Cell Biology · 年份：1983 · DOI：10.1083/jcb.97.6.1925 · 被引用次数：304 · 研究领域：Fibroblast Growth Factor Research、Neonatal Respiratory Health Research、Protease and Inhibitor Mechanisms

Fibroblast replication is regulated by exogenous signals provided by growth factors, mediators that interact with the target cell surface and signal the cell to proliferate. A useful model of growth regulation, the "dual control model," suggests that growth factors can be grouped either as competence factors or as progression factors, and that optimal replication of fibroblasts requires the presence of both types of growth factors. Although most growth factors are soluble mediators, recent studies have demonstrated that, for some cell types, the extracellular matrix can replace the requirement for a competence factor. Since fibronectin is an important constituent of the extracellular matrix that interacts with specific domains on the fibroblast surface, we examined the ability of fibronectin to act as a competence factor to promote the growth of human diploid fibroblasts. To accomplish this, fibronectins purified from two sources, human plasma and human alveolar macrophages, were tested for their ability to (a) stimulate fibroblast replication in serum-free medium containing characterized progression factors (insulin or alveolar macrophage-derived growth factor); (b) provide a growth-promoting signal early in G1. Fibronectin stimulated fibroblast replication in a dose-dependent manner in the presence of a fixed dose of a progression factor. Conversely, fibronectin conferred on previously unresponsive fibroblasts the ability to replicate in a dose-dependent manner when culture...