title: Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) homologous factors: new members of the FGF family implicated in nervous system development.
abstract: Four new members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family, referred to as fibroblast growth factor homologous factors (FHFs), have been identified by a combination of random cDNA sequencing, data base searches, and degenerate PCR. Pairwise comparisons between the four FHFs show between 58% and 71% amino acid sequence identity, but each FHF shows less than 30% identity when compared with other FGFs. Like FGF-1 (acidic FGF) and FGF-2 (basic FGF), the FHFs lack a classical signal sequence and contain clusters of basic residues that can act as nuclear localization signals. In transiently transfected 293 cells FHF-1 accumulates in the nucleus and is not secreted. Each FHF is expressed in the developing and adult nervous systems, suggesting a role for this branch of the FGF family in nervous system development and function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Smallwood
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Munoz-Sanjuan
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Macke
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hendry
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: N G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Copeland
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Jenkins
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nathans
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry; D005091:Exons; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D000882:Haplorhini; D006801:Humans; D007438:Introns; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009420:Nervous System / Q000254:growth & development*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D018076:DNA, Complementary; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors