Recombinant Human FGF-basic (154 aa) (Animal-Free)
Description
FGF-2, also known as FGF-β, is a member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family, which includes 23 members. FGF-2 is expressed in almost all tissues and plays an important role in a variety of normal and pathological processes, including development, wound healing, and neoplastic transformation. FGF-2 is mitogenic for many cell types, both epithelial and mesenchymal. It shows potent angiogenic activity and has been implicated in tumor angiogenesis. FGF-2 significantly promotes the proliferation of adipose-derived mesenchymal cells (AMC) and enhances chondrogenesis in three-dimensional micromass culture. FGF-2 binds to a family of four distinct, high affinity tyrosine kinase receptors, designated FGFR-1 to -4. In addition, FGF-2 binds to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and heparan sulfate (HS), and is an essential and dynamic regulator of fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling. Two fundamentally different crystallographic models have been proposed to explain, at the molecular level, how HS/heparin enable FGF and FGF receptor (FGFR) to assemble into a functional dimer on the cell surface, although there is controversy regarding the exact manner by which this occurs.