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Journal ArticleDOI

Fibroblast growth factors, their receptors and signaling.

01 Sep 2000-Endocrine-related Cancer (Bioscientifica Ltd)-Vol. 7, Iss: 3, pp 165-197
TL;DR: FGF signaling also appears to play a role in tumor growth and angiogenesis, and autocrine FGF signaling may be particularly important in the progression of steroid hormone-dependent cancers to a hormone-independent state.
Abstract: Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are small polypeptide growth factors, all of whom share in common certain structural characteristics, and most of whom bind heparin avidly. Many FGFs contain signal peptides for secretion and are secreted into the extracellular environment, where theycan bind to the heparan-like glycosaminoglycans (HLGAGs) of the extracellular matrix (ECM). From this reservoir, FGFs mayact directlyon target cells, or theycan be released through digestion of the ECM or the activityof a carrier protein, a secreted FGF binding protein. FGFs bind specific receptor tyrosine kinases in the context of HLGAGs and this binding induces receptor dimerization and activation, ultimatelyresulting in the activation of various signal transduction cascades. Some FGFs are potent angiogenic factors and most playimportant roles in embry onic development and wound healing. FGF signaling also appears to playa role in tumor growth and angiogenesis, and autocrine FGF signaling maybe particularlyimportant in the progression of steroid hormone-dependent cancers to a hormone-independent state.

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Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A review of the specific roles of these growth factors and cytokines during wound healing can be found in this article, where patients are treated by three growth factors: PDGF-BB, bFGF, and GM-CSF.
Abstract: Wound healing is an evolutionarily conserved, complex, multicellular process that, in skin, aims at barrier restoration. This process involves the coordinated efforts of several cell types including keratinocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, macrophages, and platelets. The migration, infiltration, proliferation, and differentiation of these cells will culminate in an inflammatory response, the formation of new tissue and ultimately wound closure. This complex process is executed and regulated by an equally complex signaling network involving numerous growth factors, cytokines and chemokines. Of particular importance is the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) family, fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), interleukin (IL) family, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha family. Currently, patients are treated by three growth factors: PDGF-BB, bFGF, and GM-CSF. Only PDGF-BB has successfully completed randomized clinical trials in the Unites States. With gene therapy now in clinical trial and the discovery of biodegradable polymers, fibrin mesh, and human collagen serving as potential delivery systems other growth factors may soon be available to patients. This review will focus on the specific roles of these growth factors and cytokines during the wound healing process.

2,617 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A subset of the FGF family, expressed in adult tissue, is important for neuronal signal transduction in the central and peripheral nervous systems.
Abstract: Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) make up a large family of polypeptide growth factors that are found in organisms ranging from nematodes to humans. In vertebrates, the 22 members of the FGF family range in molecular mass from 17 to 34 kDa and share 13-71% amino acid identity. Between vertebrate species, FGFs are highly conserved in both gene structure and amino-acid sequence. FGFs have a high affinity for heparan sulfate proteoglycans and require heparan sulfate to activate one of four cell-surface FGF receptors. During embryonic development, FGFs have diverse roles in regulating cell proliferation, migration and differentiation. In the adult organism, FGFs are homeostatic factors and function in tissue repair and response to injury. When inappropriately expressed, some FGFs can contribute to the pathogenesis of cancer. A subset of the FGF family, expressed in adult tissue, is important for neuronal signal transduction in the central and peripheral nervous systems.

2,228 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that FGF-21, which was discovered to be a potent regulator of glucose uptake in mouse 3T3-L1 and primary human adipocytes, exhibits the therapeutic characteristics necessary for an effective treatment of diabetes.
Abstract: Diabetes mellitus is a major health concern, affecting more than 5% of the population. Here we describe a potential novel therapeutic agent for this disease, FGF-21, which was discovered to be a potent regulator of glucose uptake in mouse 3T3-L1 and primary human adipocytes. FGF-21-transgenic mice were viable and resistant to diet-induced obesity. Therapeutic administration of FGF-21 reduced plasma glucose and triglycerides to near normal levels in both ob/ob and db/db mice. These effects persisted for at least 24 hours following the cessation of FGF-21 administration. Importantly, FGF-21 did not induce mitogenicity, hypoglycemia, or weight gain at any dose tested in diabetic or healthy animals or when overexpressed in transgenic mice. Thus, we conclude that FGF-21, which we have identified as a novel metabolic factor, exhibits the therapeutic characteristics necessary for an effective treatment of diabetes.

1,921 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Members of the FGF family function in the earliest stages of embryonic development and during organogenesis to maintain progenitor cells and mediate their growth, differentiation, survival, and patterning.
Abstract: The signaling component of the mammalian Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) family is comprised of eighteen secreted proteins that interact with four signaling tyrosine kinase FGF receptors (FGFRs) Interaction of FGF ligands with their signaling receptors is regulated by protein or proteoglycan cofactors and by extracellular binding proteins Activated FGFRs phosphorylate specific tyrosine residues that mediate interaction with cytosolic adaptor proteins and the RAS-MAPK, PI3K-AKT, PLCγ, and STAT intracellular signaling pathways Four structurally related intracellular non-signaling FGFs interact with and regulate the family of voltage gated sodium channels Members of the FGF family function in the earliest stages of embryonic development and during organogenesis to maintain progenitor cells and mediate their growth, differentiation, survival, and patterning FGFs also have roles in adult tissues where they mediate metabolic functions, tissue repair, and regeneration, often by reactivating developmental signaling pathways Consistent with the presence of FGFs in almost all tissues and organs, aberrant activity of the pathway is associated with developmental defects that disrupt organogenesis, impair the response to injury, and result in metabolic disorders, and cancer © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

1,445 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This study completes the mitogenesis-based comparison of receptor specificity of the entire FGF family under standard conditions and should help in interpreting and predicting in vivo biological activity.

1,052 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that one biologically relevant route of release of basic fibroblast growth factor could be directly through mechanically induced membrane disruptions of endothelial cells growing in vivo and in vitro.
Abstract: Growth factors may be required at sites of mechanical injury and normal wear and tear in vivo, suggesting that the direct action of mechanical forces on cells could lead to growth factor release. Scraping of cells from the tissue culture substratum at 37 degrees C was used to test this possibility. We show that scraping closely mimics in vitro both the transient plasma membrane wounds observed in cells subject to mechanical forces in vivo (McNeil, P. L., and S. Ito. 1989. Gastroenterology. 96:1238-1248) and the transient plasma membrane wounds shown here to occur in endothelial cells under normal culturing conditions. Scraping of endothelial cells from the culturing substratum released into the culture medium a potent growth-promoting activity for Swiss 3T3 fibroblasts. Growth-promoting activity was released rapidly (within 5 min) after scraping but was not subsequently degraded by the endothelial cells for at least 24 h thereafter. A greater quantity of growth-promoting activity was released by cells scraped 4 h after plating than by those scraped 4 or 7 d afterwards. Thus release is not due to scraping-induced disruption of extracellular matrix. Release was only partially cold inhibitable, was poorly correlated with the level of cell death induced by scraping, and did not occur when cells were killed with metabolic poisons. These results suggest that mechanical disruption of plasma membrane, either transient or permanent, is the essential event leading to release. A basic fibroblast growth factor-like molecule and not platelet-derived growth factor appears to be partially responsible for the growth-promoting activity. We conclude that one biologically relevant route of release of basic fibroblast growth factor, a molecule which lacks the signal peptide sequence for transport into the endoplasmic reticulum, could be directly through mechanically induced membrane disruptions of endothelial cells growing in vivo and in vitro.

420 citations


"Fibroblast growth factors, their re..." refers background in this paper

  • ...…Moscatelli’s observation regarding the competition of FGF-2 off the cell-surface HLGAGs with heparin as not being a competition but rather a substitution of one molecule (cell surface HLGAG) capable of facititating FGFR binding with another molecule (heparin) capable of doing the same thing....

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  • ...FGFs are stored not only in the extracellular matix itself, but also in endothelial cells (McNeil et al. 1989) and fibroblasts (Werneret al. 1991)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
20 Aug 1992-Nature
TL;DR: The data show that phosphorylation of the conserved Tyr 766 of the FGF receptor is essential for phosphorylated of PLCγ and for hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol, but that elimination of this hydrolytic activity does not affect FGF-induced mitogenesis.
Abstract: Stimulation of growth factor receptors with tyrosine kinase activity is followed by rapid receptor dimerization, tyrosine autophosphorylation and phosphorylation of signalling molecules such as phospholipase C gamma (PLC gamma) and the ras GTPase-activating protein. PLC gamma and GTPase-activating protein bind to specific tyrosine-phosphorylated regions in growth factor receptors through their src-homologous SH2 domains. Growth factor-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of PLC gamma is essential for stimulation of phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis in vitro and in vivo. We have shown that a short phosphorylated peptide containing tyrosine at position 766 from a conserved region of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) receptor is a binding site for the SH2 domain of PLC gamma (ref. 8). Here we show that an FGF receptor point mutant in which Tyr 766 is replaced by a phenylalanine residue (Y766F) is unable to associate with and tyrosine-phosphorylate PLC gamma or to stimulate hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol. Nevertheless, the Y766F FGF receptor mutant can be autophosphorylated, and can phosphorylate several cellular proteins and stimulate DNA synthesis. Our data show that phosphorylation of the conserved Tyr 766 of the FGF receptor is essential for phosphorylation of PLC gamma and for hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol, but that elimination of this hydrolysis does not affect FGF-induced mitogenesis.

412 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Multiple autocrine and potentially intracrine ligand-receptor loops resulting from these alterations within the FGF-FGF-R family may underlie the autonomy of malignant tumor cells.
Abstract: Stroma and the heparin-binding fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family influence normal epithelial cell growth and differentiation in embryonic and adult tissues. The role of stromal cells and the expression of isoforms of the FGF ligand and receptor family were examined during malignant progression of epithelial cells from a differentiated, slowly growing, nonmalignant model rat prostate tumor. In syngeneic hosts, a mixture of stromal and epithelial cells resulted in nonmalignant tumors which were differentiated and slowly growing. In the absence of the stromal cells, epithelial cells progressed to malignant tumors which were independent of the stroma and undifferentiated. The independence of the malignant epithelial cells from stromal cells was accompanied by a switch from exclusive expression of exon IIIb to exclusive expression of exon IIIc in the FGF receptor 2 (FGF-R2) gene. The FGF-R2(IIIb) isoform displays high affinity for stromal cell-derived FGF-7, whereas the FGF-R2(IIIc) isoform does not recognize FGF-7 but has high affinity for the FGF-2 member of the FGF ligand family. The switch from expression of exclusively exon IIIb to exclusively exon IIIc in the resident FGF-R2 gene was followed by activation of the FGF-2 ligand gene, the normally stromal cell FGF-R1 gene, and embryonic FGF-3 and FGF-5 ligand genes in malignant epithelial cells. Multiple autocrine and potentially intracrine ligand-receptor loops resulting from these alterations within the FGF-FGF-R family may underlie the autonomy of malignant tumor cells.

408 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is clear that the androgen-induced growth of SC-3 cells is mediated in an autocrine manner by AIGF, which is secreted by the tumor cells themselves in response to hormonal stimuli.
Abstract: An androgen-dependent mouse mammary carcinoma cell line (SC-3) requires androgen for growth stimulation. We have shown previously that androgen acts on SC-3 cells to induce secretion of a fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-like growth factor, which in turn stimulates growth of the cells in an autocrine manner. In this study, the androgen-induced growth factor (AIGF) was purified from a conditioned medium of SC-3 cells stimulated with testosterone. cDNA cloning of AIGF by use of its partial amino acid sequence data revealed that AIGF is a distinctive FGF-like growth factor. An AIGF cDNA (pSC17) encodes a 215-amino acid protein with a putative signal peptide, which shares 30-40% homology with known members of the FGF family. The AIGF mRNA was markedly induced by 10 nM testosterone in Northern blot analysis. Expression of AIGF cDNA in mammalian cells clearly showed remarkable stimulatory effects of AIGF on growth of SC-3 cells in the absence of androgen. Thus, it is clear that the androgen-induced growth of SC-3 cells is mediated in an autocrine manner by AIGF, which is secreted by the tumor cells themselves in response to hormonal stimuli.

400 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Thalidomide was first synthesised in Germany in 1954, and after extensive trials was made available there without prescription in 1957, and in the United Kingdom it has been generally available on prescription since 1959, but there have so far been no reports from the United States.
Abstract: THALIDOMIDE* was first synthesised in Germany in 1954, and after extensive trials was made available there without prescription in 1957. In the United Kingdom it has been generally available on prescription since 1959. At the end of 1961, L E N Z ~ and PFEIFFER and KOSENOW~O called attention to an association between thalidomide and gross limb and other deformities in newborn babies. Since then there have been similar reports from Australia,8 Scotland,14 England,12 Ireland,3 Canada,9 East Germany, Switzerland and Sweden,' but there have so far been no reports from the United States. About 100 cases are already known in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The sex-incidence is about equal.1° The typical changes (see Figure) involve the limbs (amelia, phocomelia, hemimelia). However, the lesions may be widespread and include rudimentary scapulae and maldevelopment of the sacrum, stenosis, atresia and malrotation of the gut, imperforate anus, absence or aplasia of the appendix or gall-bladder, abnormal mobility of the caecum or ascending colon, choanal atresia, haemangioma of the lip and nose, dysplasia of ears and eyes, hydronephrosis, genitourinary anomalies, and congenital heart disease. LENZ' estimates the incidence of heart lesions in affected cases as about 10 per cent. An unexplained feature observed in two infants has been excessive sweating of the head and face.5* l1 Serum and sweat electrolytes were normal in one of these infant^.^ The chromosomes are probably normal. 43 lo

399 citations