Disease relevance of Fgf17

• As expected, recombinant rat FGF-17 was efficiently secreted by High Five insect cells infected with recombinant baculovirus containing the cDNA indicating that FGF-17 is a secreted protein [1].

High impact information on Fgf17

• Early patterning of the vertebrate midbrain and cerebellum is regulated by a mid/hindbrain organizer that produces three fibroblast growth factors (FGF8, FGF17 and FGF18) [2].
• The consequence of this developmental defect is a progressive, dose-dependent loss of the most anterior lobe of the vermis in mice lacking Fgf17 and in mice lacking Fgf17 and one copy of Fgf8 [3].
• In situ hybridization analysis showed that the genes encoding the signaling molecules FGF17 and BMP2 are specifically expressed in the VER [4].
• Temporal and spatial gradients of Fgf8 and Fgf17 regulate proliferation and differentiation of midline cerebellar structures [3].
• Disrupting the Fgf17 gene in the mouse decreased precursor cell proliferation in the medial cerebellar (vermis) anlage after E11 [3].

Biological context of Fgf17

• Both Fgf8 and Fgf17 have a similar structure and a similar pattern of alternative splicing in the 5' coding region [5].
• During midgestation embryogenesis, in situ hybridization analysis localized Fgf17 expression to specific sites in the midline structures of the forebrain, the midbrain-hindbrain junction, the developing skeleton and in developing arteries [5].
• FGF17 mRNA was expressed in ES cells differentiated to an early endodermal phenotype [6].
• Here, comparative proteomics and comparative genomics analyses on FGF8, FGF17, and FGF18 orthologs were performed [6].

Anatomical context of Fgf17

• Comparison to Fgf8 revealed a striking similarity in expression patterns, especially in the central nervous system (CNS), suggesting that both genes may be important for CNS development, although Fgf17 is expressed somewhat later than Fgf8 [5].
• A lower level of signaling transduced by Fgf8a, Fgf17 and Fgf18 induce midbrain development [7].

Other interactions of Fgf17

• Here, we report the expression from early streak stage to midgestation of two newly-identified murine genes, Fgf17 and Fgf18, that are most closely related to Fgf8 (63.7% and 56.8% identical, respectively, at the amino acid level) [8].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Fgf17

• Using surface plasmon resonance (SPR), we also characterized the receptor-binding specificity of FGF8a and FGF8b, the "b" isoform of FGF17 (FGF17b), and FGF18 [9].
• FGF17 was detected at low levels by array and moderate levels by RT-PCR [10].

References