Type:Protein
SpeciesReactivity:H
B=Bovine;Ca=Cat;Ch=Chicken;D=Dog;EQ=Equine;GP=GuineaPig;H=Human;M=Mouse;P=Porcine;Pr=Primate;R=Rat;Rb=Rabbit;Y=Yeast;Xe=Xenopus;Ze=Zebrafish;;;;NA-NotApplicable;STP=Step-TactinProteins;AllFGFbasicisamemberoftheFGFfamilyofatleast23relatedmitogenicproteinswhichshow35-60%aminoacidconservation.FGFacidicandbasic,unliketheothermembersofthefamily,lacksignalpeptidesandareapparentlysecretedbymechanismsotherthantheclassicalproteinsecretionpathway.FGFbasichasbeenisolatedfromanumberofsources,includingneuraltissue,pituitary,adrenalcortex,corpusluteum,andplacenta.Thisfactorcontainsfourcysteineresidues,butreducedFGFbasicretainsfullBIOLOGicalactivity,indicatingthatdisulfidebondsarenotrequiredforthisactivity.AvarietyofformsofFGFbasicareproducedasaresultofN-terminalextensions.TheseextensionsaffectlocalizationofFGFbasicincellularcompartmentsbutdonotaffectbiologicalactivity.BindingofFGFtoheparinorcellsurfaceheparansulfateproteoglycansisnecessaryforbindingofFGFtohighaffinityFGFreceptors.FGFacidicandbasicappeartobindtothesamehighaffinityreceptorsandshowasimilarrangeofbiologicalactivities.FGFbasicstimulatestheproliferationofallcellsofmesodermaloriginandmanycellsofneuroectodermal,ectodermal,andendodermalorigin.FGFbasicinducesneurondifferentiation,survival,andregeneration.FGFbasicalsomodulatesembryonicdevelopmentanddifferentiation.TheseobservedinvitrofunctionsofFGFbasicsuggestFGFbasicmayplayaroleinvivointhemodulationofsuchnormalprocessesasangiogenesis,woundhealingandtissuerepair,embryonicdevelopmentanddifferentiation,andneuronalfunctionandneuraldegeneration.Additionally,FGFbasicmayparticipateintheproductionofavarietyofpathologicalconditionsresultingfromexcessivecellproliferationandexcessiveangiogenesis.
