Method for producing an active hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)

A method for producing active hepatocyte growth factor activator (HGFA), comprising:

• a first step of obtaining a culture supernatant comprising inactive hepatocyte growth factor activator (pro-HGFA) by culturing mammalian cells expressing pro-HGFA in a cell culture medium without serum and then removing cells and cell residue from the cell culture medium, wherein said pro-HGFA comprises (i) the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:
• 2, (ii) the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:2 which has substitution, deletion, insertion, or addition of 1 to 10 amino acid residues and which is activatable to have HGFA activity, or (iii) an amino acid sequence at least 95% identical to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:2 and which is activatable to have HGFA activity, and
• a second step of adding an acidic solution to the culture supernatant comprising pro-HGFA obtained in the first step to adjust the culture supernatant to pH 4.0-6.0 and convert pro-HGFA into active HGFA.