• Purity

  >95%, by SDS-PAGE visualized with Silver Staining and quantitative densitometry by Coomassie® Blue Staining.

• Endotoxin Level

  <0.10 EU per 1 μg of the protein by the LAL method.  

• Activity

  Measured by its binding ability in a functional ELISA. When Recombinant Human GDF-15 is used at 0.5 µg/mL, the concentration of Recombinant Human Activin RIB/ALK-4 Fc Chimera (Catalog # ) that produces 50% of the optimal binding response is approximately 0.5-3 μg/mL.

• Source

  E. coli-derived Ala197-Ile308

• Accession #

• N-terminal Sequence    
  Analysis

  Ala197

• Structure / Form

  Disulfide-linked homodimer

• Predicted Molecular Mass

  12 kDa

• SDS-PAGE

  12 kDa, reducing conditions

Data Images

Background: GDF-15

Growth Differentiation Factor 15 (GDF-15), also called Macrophage Inhibitory Cytokine 1 (MIC-1), Placental Transforming Growth Factor beta, Prostate-derived Factor, and Placental Bone Morphogenetic Protein, is a divergent member of the TGF-beta superfamily (1, 2). Human GDF-15 shares 66% and 68% amino acid sequence identity with the rat and mouse proteins, respectively (3). GDF-15 is highly expressed in placenta and brain, and it is expressed at lower levels in kidney, pancreas, prostate, and colon. Similar to other TGF-beta family proteins, the GDF-15 proprotein is cleaved at a dibasic cleavage site (RxxR) to release the mature protein (4). The C-terminal domain of GDF-15 contains seven characteristic conserved cysteine residues necessary for the formation of the cysteine knot and the single interchain disulfide bond (5). Biologically active GDF-15 is a disulfide-linked homodimer of the mature protein and signals through the heterodimeric receptor composed of TGF-beta RI/ALK-5 and TGF-beta RII (6). GDF-15 has been shown to have various functions, including inhibition of TNF-alpha production from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages and the induction of cartilage formation (1, 5). GDF-15 also promotes neuronal survival, and hypothalamic expression of GDF-15 causes appetite suppression via modulation of Neuropeptide Y and Pro-opiomelanocortin levels (7-9). GDF-15 is cardioprotective via inhibition of platelet activation, limiting atherosclerosis, inhibiting CXCL1-induced neutrophil adhesion, regulating angiogenesis, and inhibiting norepinephrine-induced mycardial hypertrophy (6, 10-15).

• References:

1. Bootcov, M.R. et al. (1997) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 94:11514.

2. Unsicker, K. et al. (2013) Cytokine Growth Factor Rev. 24:373.

3. Bottner, M. et al. (1999) Gene 237:105.

4. Fairlie, W.D. et al. (2001) J. Biol. Chem. 276:16911.

5. Paralkar, V.M. et al. (1998) J. Biol. Chem. 273:13760.

6. Artz, A. et al. (2016) Blood 128:529.

7. Johnen, H. et al. (2007) Nat. Med. 13:1333.

8. Strelau, J. et al. (2000) J. Neurosci. 20:8597.

9. Strelau, J. et al. (2009) J. Neurosci. 29:13640.

10. Whitson, R.J. et al. (2013) J. Cell. Biochem. 114:1424.

11. Rossaint, J. et al. (2013) J. Thromb. Haemost. 11:335.

12. Song, H. et al. (2012) Mol. Biol. Rep. 39:4017.

13. Preusch, M.R. et al. (2013) Eur. J. Med. Res. 18:19.

14. Kempf, T. et al. (2011) Nat. Med. 17:581.

15. Xu, X.-Y. et al. (2014) J. Biol. Chem. 289:10084.

• Long Name:

  Growth Differentiation Factor 15

• Entrez Gene IDs:

  9518 (Human); 23886 (Mouse); 29455 (Rat)

• Alternate Names:

  GDF15; GDF-15; growth differentiation factor 15; growth/differentiation factor 15; Macrophage inhibitory cytokine 1; MIC-1; MIC-1NSAID-activated gene 1 protein; MIC1Prostate differentiation factor; NAG-1; NAG-1NSAID-regulated gene 1 protein; NSAID (nonsteroidal inflammatory drug)-activated protein 1; PDF; PDFGDF-15; PLAB; PLABNRG-1; Placental bone morphogenetic protein; Placental TGF-beta; PTGF-beta; PTGFBPTGF-beta