The fibroblast growth factor family.

Acidic and basic fibroblast growth factors are structurally related monomeric proteins which have been purified from a diverse set of vertebrate tissues. These prototype FGFs2 are mitogenic toward a broad spectrum of mesodermand ectoderm-derived cells and can also serve as trophic factors and as mediators of developmental pathways in a variety of in vitro and in vivo systems. Within the past 3 years, the FGF family has expanded to include proteins encoded by at least seven distinct genes. Additionally, genes encoding FGF receptors have been recently characterized. I shall briefly review what is known concerning the structures of FGFs and their receptors together with experiments which are leading us toward an understanding of FGF biological functions.