fig9

Figure 9. Similarities (represented by colored ovals) between the actions of HGF^[31] on the left and MSCs^[38] on the right. HGF, unlike TGF-β, is secreted only by mesenchymal cells like MSCs, but its receptor HGFR is expressed by many cell lines. The unique intracellular moiety of the receptor triggers many intracellular pathways that culminate in the “invasive growth program”. These “instruction sets” code for behaviors that are strikingly like the effects of MSCs on target tissue. These include anti-apoptosis, angiogenesis, antifibrosis, migration (“motogenesis”), Mitogenic (“Met”), and anti-inflammatory effects.