Corning® BioCoat™ Cytokines, Growth Factors, and Media Additives

Growth Factors

Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) is a low-molecular-weight mitogenic protein that stimulates proliferation of a wide variety of cell types in vitro. EGF can also be used for receptor, gene expression, wound healing studies, and to culture cells in reduced-serum or serum-free culture systems. Transforming Growth Factor-α (TGF-α) is structurally and functionally related to EGF.

Fibroblast Growth Factors (FGF) are heparin-binding mitogenic proteins that enhance proliferation of a wide variety of cell types under serum-free or serum-reduced conditions. FGF can also be used as a chemotactic or neurotrophic factor and to study wound healing, angiogenesis, and related processes.

Insulin-like Growth Factors (IGF) are plasma-derived mitogens that are similar to proinsulin. IGF-I and IGF-II both have mitogenic activity for several cell types, including malignant cells. IGF often acts in synergy with other growth factors.

Both 7S and 2.5S Nerve Growth Factors (NGF) are useful for maintenance and differentiation of sympathetic and sensory neurons, and neuronal cells in vitro. NGF also has wound healing activity and can be used in degenerative brain disease and nerve injury models.

Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (PDGF), a dimeric glycoprotein composed of two A and/or B chains, is the principal mitogen in serum for mesenchymal cells. Applications include culture of various cell types derived from connective tissue. It can also be used to study chemotaxis, wound healing, and bone repair. Another member of the PDGF family is the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) with endothelial cell-specific activities (e.g., angiogenic and mitogenic factor).

Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) is a multifunctional protein that plays a central role in the regulation of cell growth and differentiation with either stimulatory or inhibitory effects, depending on the context of its action.

Lymphokine Products

Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factors (GM-CSF) human recombinant, a glycoprotein that is critical to hematopoiesis, induces bone marrow progenitor cells to proliferate and differentiate into granulocytes and macrophages.

Interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) human recombinant, primarily produced by monocytes and macrophages. Diverse range of uses including stimulation of lymphokine release, activation of endothelial cells, and activation of NK cells.

Interleukin-2 (IL-2) plays a central role in cell-mediated immune response. IL-2, also known as T-cell growth factor, was first identified by its ability to promote the long-term proliferation of activated T-cells.  A broad selection of natural and recombinant IL-2 products from rodent and human species is available as highly purified vialed factors or as conditioned media. IL-2 products can be used to promote proliferation of activated T-lymphocytes.

Interleukin-3 (IL-3) is a glycoprotein that regulates differentiation and enhances proliferation of a variety of hematopoietic precursor cells, mast cells, basophils, and NK cells.

Stem Cell Factor (SCF) is a glycoprotein that plays a key role in hematopoiesis acting both as a positive and negative regulator, often in synergy with other cytokines. It also plays a key role in mast cell development, gametogenesis, and melanogenesis.

Tumor Necrosis Factor-α (TNF-α) has growth-inhibitory effects on many tumor cells and nontumor cells, e.g., certain hematopoietic cells. It also has differentiation-inducing effects, e.g., on macrophages.