# GROWTH FACTORS AND MECHANISM OF CELLULAR PROLIFERATION

> **NIH NIH R01** · ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY · 1989 · $265,402

## Abstract

Transforming growth factors (TGFs) are protein growth factors produced by
transformed cells in culture.  TGF is functionally related to epidermal
growth factor and induces anchorage-independent growth of normal cells, a
property closely associated with tumorigenicity.  The amino acid sequence
of the first such TGF from transformed rat fibroblasts has recently been
determined.  The immediate goals are to synthesize chemically this TGF and
some selected analogs by the improved solid phase peptide synthesis.  The
long-range goal is to contribute to our understanding the cause and
regulation of tumor by its own growth factors.

The biological studies of transforming growth factors and, hence, rapid
progress on the understanding of the detailed functional roles have been
hampered by their scarcity.  The proposed chemical synthesis of TGFs will
provide a readily available source for its biochemical evaluations.
Preliminary studies of the synthetic TGF include characterization of the
physiological functions of TGF in whole organisms, identification of TGF
receptors by photo-affinity labeling and its expression in transformed and
embryonic cells.

The synthesis of TGF analogs will aid the understanding, on the molecular
level, of the interaction of TGF and its specific cellular receptor.
Moreover analogs that function as inhibitors will provide an agent for the
in vivo regulation of transforming growth factor activity and in general
might be expected to provide a very different approach to the interruption
of tumor cell progression.  (J)

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3174186
- **Project number:** 5R01CA036544-06
- **Recipient organization:** ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY
- **SAM.gov UEI:** LHGDNJMZ64Y1
- **Principal Investigator:** JAMES P TAM
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1989
- **Award amount:** $265,402
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 1984-07-01 → 1992-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3174186

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3174186, GROWTH FACTORS AND MECHANISM OF CELLULAR PROLIFERATION (5R01CA036544-06). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3174186. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*