Description
Fibroblast Growth Factor-6 (FGF-6) is a cytokine belonging to the heparin-binding FGF family, and is structurally related to other members of FGF family, particularly FGF-4. In vivo, FGF-6 exhibits an expression profile predominantly restricted tothe myogenic lineage, and it preferentially binds to two of the FGF receptors: FGFR1 and FGFR4. FGF-6 functions in muscle regeneration, myoblast proliferation and migration, and muscle differentiation in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo high concentration of recombinant FGF-6 up-regulates and down-regulates FGFR1 and FGFR4, respectively, as FGFR1 promotes the proliferation while FGFR4 promotes the differentiation in the muscle. Besides its dual function in muscle regeneration, FGF-6 may act as a regulator of bone metabolism as well.