Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and its high affinity receptor, the tyrosine kinase Met, play a
key role in embryo development and tumor invasion. Both HGF and Met are established
targets for cancer therapy. However, the mechanism of their interaction is complex and
remains elusive. HGF is secreted as a monomeric precursor (pro-HGF) that binds to but
does not activate Met. Mature HGF is a α/β heterodimer containing a high affinity Met-
binding site in the α-chain (HGF-α) and a low affinity Met-binding site in the β-chain (HGF-β) …