Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a member of the plasminogen related growth factor family. The HGF protein is a dimer formed from an alpha and beta subunit linked by a disulfide bond. Both subunits originate from the endoproteolytic cleavage of a common precursor which is biologically inactive. HGF is expressed in Kupffer cella and sinusoidal endothelial cells in the liver and pancreas.
