Description
Keratinocyte Growth Factor (KGF) is a highly specific epithelial mitogen produced by fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells. KGF belongs to the heparin binding Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF) family, and is known as FGF-7. However, in contrast to the FGF-1, which binds to all known FGF receptors with high affinity, KGF only binds to a splice variant of an FGF receptor, FGFR2-IIIb. FGFR2-IIIb is produced by most of the epithelial cells, indicating that KGF plays roles as a paracrine mediator. KGF induces the differen-tiation and proliferation of various epithelial cells, including keratinocytes in the epidermis, hair follicles and sebaceous glands, and is responsible for the wound repairs of various tissues, including lung, bladder, and kidney.