Description
Fibroblast Growth Factor- acidic (FGF-acidic) is a mitogen targeting at the endothelial cells, and belongs to the heparin binding FGF family, which contains 22 members. FGF-acidic binds to the receptor family FGFR1-4 in vivo with the assistance of heparin. However, along with FGF -basic, FGF-acidic lacks the signal peptide segment, and thus is not secreted via endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and Golgi bodies. Studies have shown that FGF-acidic is highly regulated, and it is a direct angiogenesis factor. If unregulated, angiogenesis could contribute to several diseases including arthritis, diabetes, ocular neovascularization, and especially tumors. Therefore, FGF-acidic is treated as a potential oncogene, and its overexpression is correlated tightly with several cancers.