Research Progress of Fibroblast Growth Factors (FGFs) and Their Receptors(FGFRs)

To date 21 members of fibroblast growth factor family have been identified. Among these, there are 9 members have been found in mammals. Fibroblast growth factor receptors are a group of transmembrane tyrosine-kinase receptors. They mediate transduction of FGF signals to the cytoplasm. Four human FGFR-encoding genes have been described. They are FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3, FGFR4. FGF/FGFR regulate cell proliferation, differentiation and migration in many different tissues through complex signaling pathways. Because of their multiple biological functions, they have great potential in clinical application.