Hepatocyte growth factor receptor

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Hepatocyte growth factor receptor (HGFR) is a receptor tyrosine kinase that is essential for embryonic development and wound healing. It is also know as mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (MET) or c-MET and a proto-oncogene. HGFR is normally expressed by cells of epithelial origin, while expression of HGF is restricted to cells of mesenchymal origin. Upon HGF stimulation, the receptor induces several biological responses that collectively give rise to a program known as invasive growth.

Abnormal activation in cancer correlates with poor prognosis, where aberrantly active HGFR triggers tumor growth, formation of new blood vessels (angiogenesis) that supply the tumor with nutrients, and cancer spread to other organs (metastasis). The receptor is deregulated in many types of human malignancies, including cancers of kidney, liver, stomach, breast, and brain.