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Objectives and Methods: Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its receptor c-Met exert mitogene and motogene activities in digestive tissues. The aim of the study was a) to detect and localize these proteins in adult human digestive mucosae, liver and pancreas, using western immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry with anti-HGF and c-Met antibodies and b) to identify the receptor in three digestive cancer cell lines., Results: HGF and c-Met were detected by the two techniques used in esophagus, fundus, antrum, duodenum, cecum, colon and rectum where they were localized in epithelial and sometimes lamina propria cells. HGF and c-Met were also present in hepatocytes, and c-Met in pancreatic endocrine cells. c-Met was identified in human gastric HGT-1 and rat colon DHD/K12 cancer cells. HGF (40 ng/mL) scattered colonies formed by these cells as well as human T84 colon cancer cells., Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate the presence of HGF and c-Met in all human digestive tissues and are compatible with the implication of HGF in metastatic processes of digestive cancers.

A method, transposed from the mucin histochemical stainings, was proposed to evaluate neutral, acidic and sulphated mucins by spectrocolorimetry. Stainings used were periodic acid/Schiff (PAS), Alcian blue (AB) pH 2.5, and Alcian blue (AB) pH 0.5. Mucin samples were extracted from mucosal scrapings, from intestinal contents of germ-free rats or from commercial pig gastric mucin. A mucin-enriched fraction was obtained and lyophilised and the protein content was determined. Each mucin type was spectrophotometrically analysed after staining and precipitation by slightly modified Carnoy fixative. The histochemical stainings used here, after modification by Carnoy fixative treatment, were, as shown by electrophoretic controls, specific for mucin types contained in these mucins without protein contaminant interference.