FGF-4

FGF-4 was first isolated as a transforming oncogene from a gastric carcinoma and as the Kaposi sarcoma oncogene, yet its physiological importance is developmental. Secreted from the apical ectodermal ridge of the limb bud and from the primitive streak, FGF-4 sustains limb outgrowth and posterior patterning and helps maintain pluripotency of embryonic stem cells through FGFR1 and FGFR2 signaling, a property exploited in ES-cell culture media. FGF-4 also acts in tooth and inner-ear development, and autocrine FGF-4 loops have been described in several carcinomas. Recombinant FGF-4 is routinely used to expand mouse and human embryonic stem cells and to study FGFR activation.