Abstract
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) Immunoreactivity, EGF binding activity, and their ontogenic changes were investigated in placenta, amnion, and various organs of mouse fetus and neonate. EGF immunoreactivity was detected in all organs examined such as fetal and neonatal liver, brain, lung, intestine, placenta, and amnion. The fetal tissues having relatively higher EGF content were mnion, liver, and intestine. The tissue distribution of EGF immunoreactivity in the fetus did not differ from that in neonate. As for its ontogenesis, EGF immunoreactivity was almost constant during fetal development in liver, brain, and placenta, whereas it gradually increased in intestine. Scatchard plot analysis of EGF receptor, which was also demonstrated in all organs studied, revealed that EGF receptor in these tissues
