Betacellulin

Betacellulin is an EGF-related polypeptide growth factor that signals through the EGF receptor. It is produced in several tissues, including the pancreas, small intestine, and in certain tumor cells. Betacellulin is a potent mitogen for retinal pigment epithelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells. Human Betacellulin is initially synthesized as a glycosylated 32.0 kDa transmembrane precursor protein, which is processed by proteolytic cleavage to produce the mature sequence. Recombinant human Betacellulin is a 9.0 kDa monomeric protein, containing 80 amino residues, which comprises the mature EGF homologous portion of the Betacellulin protein.