In Vitro Expression of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor by Human Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cells

Growth factors regulate cell proliferation and differentiation (1). Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a polypeptide mitogen that stimulates division of various cell types in vitro and, in particular, epithelial cells in vivo (1,2). It has been previously reported that the addition of EGF to culture medium increases DNA synthesis and number of cultured human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells after 48 hr (3).