A site-directed mutagenesis approach was taken to disrupt each of 3 disulfide bonds within human HB-EGF by substituting serine for both cysteine residues that contribute to disulfide bonding. Each HB-EGF disulfide analogue (HB-EGF-Cys/Ser(108/121), HB-EGF-Cys/Ser(116/132), and HB-EGF-Cys/Ser(134/143)) was cloned under the regulation of the mouse metallothionein (MT) promoter and stably expressed in mouse fibroblasts. HB-EGF immunoreactive proteins with M, of 6.5, 21 and 24 kDa were observed from lysates of HB-EGF and each HB-EGF disulfide analogue. HB-EGF immmunohistochemical analyses of each HB-EGF stable cell line demonstrated ubiquitous protein expression except HB-EGF-Cys/Ser(108/121) and HB-EGF-Cys/Ser(116/132) stable cell lines which exhibited accumulated expression immediately outside the nucleus. rHB-EGF, HB-EGF, and HB-EGF(134/143) proteins competed with I-125-EGF in an A431 competitive binding assay, whereas HB-EGF-Cys/Ser(108/121) and HB-EGF-Cys/Ser(116/132) failed to compete. Each HB-EGF disulfide analogue lacked the ability to stimulate tyrosine phosphorylation of the 170 kDa EGFR. These results suggest that HB-EGF-Cys/Ser(134/143) antagonizes EGFRs. Published by Elsevier Inc.