Recombinant Human FGF-7 (KGF) Protein

What it means: This FGF-7 is produced in Human cells rather than in E. coli or insect cells. The manufacturer states the host as human cells and does not name a specific cell line for this product.

Why it matters:

• Expression in human cells supports mammalian processing, and the protein is supplied in glycosylated form.
• A human host avoids bacterial host-cell contaminants that can affect sensitive epithelial and organoid cultures.
• Together with the animal-free, xeno-free format, it fits fully human culture systems.

How to interpret here: An expression system of Human cells means the FGF-7 was made by a human cell line. It is intended for epithelial proliferation, organoid and branching-morphogenesis research.

Tip: When switching from an FGF-7 made in E. coli, re-titrate the working concentration rather than assuming equal activity per microgram.

What it means: The protein is Tag-free: no His, Fc, GST or other affinity tag is fused to the FGF-7 sequence, and no tag needs to be removed before use.

Why it matters:

• A tag adds extra amino acids that can change folding, receptor binding, stability or the apparent molecular weight of a signaling protein.
• In defined epithelial and organoid cultures every added component is a variable; a tag-free protein keeps the ligand close to the native sequence.
• Tag-free proteins are also easier to compare with published protocols that used untagged factors.

How to interpret here: Tag-free here means the vial contains only the FGF-7 protein. It cannot be captured or detected with anti-His, anti-GST or Protein A reagents, so plan detection with an antibody against FGF-7 itself.

What it means: Purity of >95% by SDS-PAGE means that when the protein is run on a denaturing gel and stained, at least 95% of the stained protein is the FGF-7 band.

Why it matters:

• High purity limits other proteins in the vial that could act on cells or interfere with downstream readouts.
• Dosing is done by protein mass, so a pure preparation makes the amount of active ligand added more accurate and comparable between experiments.
• Endotoxin is specified separately at <0.5 EU/µg, so purity and endotoxin together describe how clean the preparation is.

How to interpret here: A specification of >95% by SDS-PAGE is a minimum value. The exact result for the lot received is on the Certificate of Analysis (CoA), available from BioHippo on request.

Tip: SDS-PAGE purity shows how clean the preparation is, not how active it is; check the activity data separately.

What it means: The species is Human: the amino-acid sequence is that of human FGF-7 (keratinocyte growth factor, KGF). The protein is also produced in human cells, so both the sequence and the expression host are human.

Why it matters:

• Matching the species of the factor to the species of the cells avoids differences in receptor affinity between species.
• Human sequence is the usual choice for human keratinocyte, epithelial and organoid work.
• Recording the species in protocols matters because the same protein is sold from several species by many suppliers.

How to interpret here: Human here refers to the protein sequence. When reproducing a published protocol, check that it also used Human FGF-7; if it used a protein from another species, the working concentration may need adjusting.

What it means: The protein is supplied Lyophilized (freeze-dried) from a 0.2 µm-filtered PBS solution, without carrier protein.

Why it matters:

• Lyophilized protein is more stable during storage than a solution, which gives a long shelf life when stored correctly.
• The stock concentration is chosen at reconstitution, so it can be matched to the volumes used in each protocol.
• As supplied, store at −20°C to −80°C for up to 12 months from receipt; after reconstitution keep it at 2°C to 8°C for up to 1 month or at −20°C to −80°C for up to 3 months under sterile conditions.

How to interpret here: Lyophilized means the vial must be reconstituted before use: briefly centrifuge the vial before opening, then reconstitute in sterile PBS containing 0.1% endotoxin-free recombinant human serum albumin, mix gently and prepare single-use aliquots.

Tip: Avoid repeated freeze–thaw cycles of the reconstituted protein; a manual-defrost freezer is recommended.

What it means: The molecular weight stated by the manufacturer is 17–30 kDa. Separately, the manufacturer describes the structure of FGF-7 as a glycosylated homodimer.

Why it matters:

• Molecular weight is the first check of identity when the protein is run on a gel or analysed by other methods.
• Band position can differ between reducing and non-reducing gels and between methods, so note the conditions used when comparing results with the stated value.
• The manufacturer gives a nominal value and refers to lot-level data for the exact profile.

How to interpret here: 17–30 kDa is a nominal value. Refer to the lot-specific Certificate of Analysis (CoA), available from BioHippo on request, for the data that apply to the lot received.

Tip: If a gel band differs slightly from the stated value, compare it with the CoA for that lot before drawing conclusions.

What it means: Activity is tested in the 4MBr-5 cell proliferation assay, which measures growth of a monkey epithelial cell line in response to FGF-7. The assay uses an epithelial line, which matches the epithelial selectivity of FGF-7.

Why it matters:

• A cell-based activity test confirms that the protein is functionally active, which purity alone cannot show.
• Proliferation of an epithelial line reflects the main biological effect of FGF-7 through FGFR2b.
• The named assay gives a basis for comparing lots and other FGF-7 preparations tested the same way.

How to interpret here: 4MBr-5 cell proliferation is the activity assay; the manufacturer does not give a numerical EC50, so do not assume an EC50 or a universal working concentration.

Tip: Set the working dose from a validated protocol, then confirm it with a dose-response study in the target cells.