Vol. 136, No. 1, 1986 BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS April 14, 1986 Pages 102-l 08 EVIDENCE FOR FGF-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR IN ADULT BOVINE RETINA : ANALOGIES WITH EDGF I J. COURTY * , B. CHEVALLIER * , M. MOENNER * , C. LORET * , 0. LAGENTE , P. BOHLEN , Y. COURTOIS t D. BARRITAULT *I INSERM Unit.6 118, 29 rue Wilhem, 75016 Paris, France Biochemisches Institute, Winterthurstrasse 190, Unlversitv of Zikich, CH 8057 Z’urich, Switzerland. *Laboratoire de Genie Genttique et de Biotechnologie des Cellules Eucaryotes, Universite de Paris Val de Marne, Avenue du GknCrai de Gaulle, 94010 CRETEIL CEDEX, France Received February 10, 1986 Eye Derived Growth Factor (EDGF) is the genus name for srowth factor activities found in several ocular tissues. Purification from bovine reti‘na by Cibacron blue affinity chromatography has previously given a fraction which can induce target cell proliferation at doses of 30 ng per ml of culture medium. Radioimmunoassay using a labelled synthetic decapeptide- cTyr 10 I - FGF (I-10) including the 9 N terminal aminoacids of brain Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) indicated that EDGF contained a FGF-like material. Further purification of Cibacron blue purified EDGF with heparin seDharo&e chromatosraphv yielded two active fractions after elution with a sodium chloride radient. One ‘fraction named EDGF I eluted between 1.3 and 1.5 M NaCl and accounte (9 for over 50% of the input biolo ical activity and comigrated with purified FGF on SDS PAGE at a molecular weisht of EDGF I for binding to s a 6.000 d as a sinqle band. FGF competed with retina contains a growt K ecific receptors on’bovine epithelial lens cells. We conclude that factor activity (EDGF I) similar if not identical to FGF. 9 1986 Academic Press, Inc. Several ocular tissues have been shown to contain growth factor activity over a broad range of responsive target cells (1,2,3). Adult bovine retina has been used as a source of purification of such growth promoting activity to which we applied the genus name of Eye Derived Growth Factors (2) (EDGF). In 1982 (4) EDGF was purified over 5,000 times and a fraction obtained after acetic acid precipitation, Cibacron blue affinity chromatography and gel Permeation chromatography with an apparent molecular weight of 17,500 d f 2,500 d and an isoelectrical point of 4.5 * 0.5 could stimulate cell proliferation at doses of 5 ng x ml-’ . It was clear from SDS PAGE that this growth factor actlvitv needed to be further purified and characterized. However at this step of purification we compared EDGF from retina with growth factor activity derived from brain (called Brain Derived Growth Factor or BDGF) and we concluded that both brain and retina tissues, contained growth factor activities with analogous biochemical and biological behaviour (5). From biochemical and biological data ‘To whom correspondence should be addressed. 0006-291X/86 $1.50 Copyright 0 1986 by Aeademie Press, Inc. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. 102