We have shown previously that fibrin(ogen) binding potentiates the capacity of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) to stimulate endothelial cell (EC) proliferation. We have now investigated the receptor requirement for EC proliferation by fibrinogenbound FGF-2. ECs were cultured with 25 ng/mL FGF-2 with or without 10 g/mL fibrinogen, and proliferation was measured as 3H-thymidine incorporation. ...

We examined the expression of FGF-receptor (FGF-R) mRNA during rat development with in situ hybridization histochemistry. Embryonic tissues (E9, E12, E14, E17) and postnatal neural tissues (P1, P7, P14, adult) were examined. We detected significant levels of FGF-R mRNA in various tissues at different developmental stages. As postulated by previous studies using other methods, FGF-R gene express...

Fibroblast growth factors (FGF) and their receptors serve many functions in both the developing and adult organism. Humans contain 18 FGF ligands and four FGF receptors (FGFR). FGF ligands are polypeptide growth factors that regulate several developmental processes including cellular proliferation, differentiation, and migration, morphogenesis, and patterning. FGF-FGFR signaling is also critica...

One of the earliest events in mammalian embryogenesis is the formation of the inner cell mass (ICM) and the subsequent delamination of primitive endoderm. We have found that mRNA for fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-4, but not FGF-3, is expressed in preimplantation mouse blastocysts and that the FGF-4 polypeptide is present in ICM cells. ICM-like embryonal carcinoma cells and embryonic stem cells...

The transcription program that is responsible for the pluripotency of human ESCs (hESCs) is believed to be comaintained by exogenous fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), which activates FGF receptors (FGFRs) and stimulates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway. However, the same pathway is stimulated by insulin receptors, insulin-like growth factor 1 receptors, and epidermal growth...

The entry of exogenous fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) to the cytosolic/nuclear compartment was studied and compared with the translocation mechanism used by FGF-1. To differentiate between external and endogenous growth factor, we used FGF-2 modified to contain a farnesylation signal, a CaaX-box. Because farnesylation occurs only in the cytosol and nucleoplasm, farnesylation of exogenous FG...

Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2 or basic FGF) is associated with the cell-transformed phenotype. To clarify the function of FGF-2 in the malignancy of tumor cells, we designed experiments to express antisense RNA in a hepatoma cell line. Using FGF-2 mRNA, alternative initiations of translation at one AUG and three CUG start codons led to the synthesis of four isoforms. SK-Hep1 cells, which na...

This study uses a computational model to characterize the myocardial deposition and retention of basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2) at the cellular level after intracoronary (IC) administration of exogenous FGF-2. The model is applied to the in situ conditions present within the myocardium of a dog for which the plasma pharmacokinetics resulting from IC injection of FGF-2 were recorded. Our...

We have previously demonstrated increased fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) expression in a lamb model of increased pulmonary blood flow secondary to congenital heart disease, which may contribute to the associated increases in pulmonary arterial muscularization. However, the mechanisms underlying these increases in FGF-2 expression remain to be identified. Initially, we found that exogenous F...

Aims Vascular calcification is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) plays an instructive role in osteogenesis and bone development, but its role in vascular calcification was unknown. Therefore, we investigated the involvement of FGF-2 in vascular calcification and determined the mechanism by which it regulates this process. Methods and results We demon...