title: Heart-specific expression of FGF-16 and a potential role in postnatal cardioprotection.
abstract: Fibroblast growth factor 16 (FGF-16) was originally cloned from rat heart. Subsequent investigation of mouse FGF-16, including generation of null mice, revealed a specific pattern of expression in the endocardium and epicardium, and role for FGF-16 during embryonic heart development. FGF-16 is expressed mainly in brown adipose tissue during rat embryonic development, but is expressed mainly in the murine heart after birth. There is also an apparent switch from limited endocardial and epicardial expression in the embryo to the myocardium in the perinatal period. The FGF-16 gene and its location on the X chromosome are conserved between human and murine species, and no other member of the FGF family shows this pattern of spatial and temporal expression. The human and murine FGF-16 gene promoter regions also share an equivalent location for TATA sequences, as well as adjacent putative binding sites for transcription factors linked to cardiac expression and response to stress. Recent evidence has implicated nonsense mutation of FGF-16 with increased cardiovascular risk, and FGF-16 supplementation with cardioprotection. Here we review the important role of FGF-16 in embryonic heart development, its gene regulation, and evidence for FGF-16 as an endogenous and exogenous cardiac-specific and protective factor in the postnatal heart. Moreover, given the conservation of the FGF-16 gene and its chromosomal location between species, the question of support for a cardiac role in the human population is also considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology & Pathophysiology, University of Manitoba, Manitoba, Canada. Electronic address: umwan558@myumanitoba.ca.
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology & Pathophysiology, University of Manitoba, Manitoba, Canada.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sontag
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology & Pathophysiology, University of Manitoba, Manitoba, Canada.
authors.forename: Peter A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Cattini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002316:Cardiotonic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy; D018389:Codon, Nonsense; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology / Q000254:growth & development*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D051381:Rats; D012307:Risk Factors; D016385:TATA Box
chemical_list: D002316:Cardiotonic Agents; D018389:Codon, Nonsense; C512705:FGF16 protein, human; C484686:Fgf16 protein, mouse; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors
keywords: Cardioprotection; Embryonic and postnatal heart; Endocardium; FGF-16; Myocardium