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Radioimmunoassay of Human Epidermal Growth Factor (Urogastrone)¹

Department of Medicine and Cancer Research Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Nashville, Tennessee 37232

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a polypeptide hormone that stimulates growth of a variety of tissues. Although it was originally discovered in male mouse submaxillary glands, EGF has recently been isolated from human urine. A heterologous radioimmunoassay for human EGF (hEGF) has been developed, using purified hEGF as reference standard and radioiodinated tracer and antibodies raised against mouse EGF. Purified hEGF specifically displaced radioiodinated hEGF from the antibodies; no other human peptide hormone tested demonstrated any cross-reaction. Twenty-four hour urinary excretion of RIA-hEGF in normal adult males and females was 97.8 ± 10.7 and 72.0 ± 4.5 (mean ± SE) µg/total volume, or 51.7 ± 4.5 and 57.0 ± 4.9 µg/g of creatinine, respectively. Urinary excretion in normal children increased with age, from less than 40 µg/24 h at 4 years of age to adult levels at about the age of puberty. The concentration of RIA-hEGF in human saliva ranged from 5.6 to 16.8 ng/ml, was about 80 ng/ml in human milk and was undetectable in human amniotic fluid (<1.4 ng/ml). It has recently been suggested that human EGF is identical with human urogastrone. However, the tissue secreting this "new" human hormone and the role of hEGF in health and disease have yet to be determined.

¹ Supported in part by Research Grants 5-P17-HL14214 and 1-R01-AM19739 from the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Public Health Service. Dr. Starkey was the recipient of Individual Research Fellowship Grant 1-F22-AM01133 from the National Institutes of Health.

² Present address: Endocrinology Department, Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pennsylvania.

Received February 10, 1977.

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