title: Expression and function of FGF-4 in peri-implantation development in mouse embryos.
abstract: 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 also express FGF-4. Conversely, differentiated embryonal carcinoma cells in the endoderm lineage express FGF-3, but not FGF-4 mRNA. Although mouse embryos expressed FGF-4 mRNA from the 1-cell stage, embryos cultured from the 2-cell through the blastocyst stage in the presence of recombinant FGF-4 did not respond mitogenically. However, when ICMs that were isolated by immunosurgery were cultured with FGF-4, the number of morphologically distinct, differentiated parietal endoderm cells growing out onto the coverslip increased, without an increase in the number of undifferentiated ICM cells. ICM outgrowths cultured with FGF-4 increased their secretion of 92 x 10(3) M(r) gelatinase and tissue plasminogen activator, a hallmark of migrating cells. Receptors for FGF-4 (FGFR-3 and FGFR-4) are expressed in all cells of the mouse blastocyst. These findings indicate that FGF-4 produced by undifferentiated ICM cells acts in the peri-implantation period of embryogenesis to influence the production and behavior of endoderm cells derived from them.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Radiobiology and Environmental Health, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0750.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Rappolee
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Basilico
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Werb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D001755:Blastocyst / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D010064:Embryo Implantation / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D051519:Fibroblast Growth Factor 4; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009024:Morphogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; C496446:Fgf4 protein, mouse; D051519:Fibroblast Growth Factor 4; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors