FGF7 gene

The FGF7 gene (FGF7 stands for: Fibroblast Growth Factor 7) is a protein-coding gene on chromosome 15q21.

The protein encoded by this gene belongs to the family of fibroblast growth factors (FGF-7). Members of the FGF family have broad mitogenic and cellular survival activity and are involved in a variety of biological processes, including embryonic development, cell growth, morphogenesis, tissue repair, tumor growth and invasion.

The encoded protein is a potent epithelial cell-specific growth factor whose mitogenic activity is predominantly observed in keratinocytes, but not in fibroblasts and endothelial cells . It is possible that the growth factor is an important paracrine effector of normal epithelial cell proliferation. Studies on mouse and rat homologues of this gene revealed a role in epithelial morphogenesis, wound re-epithelialization (Ågren MS et al. 2022), hair development and early lung organogenesis. The role of the FGF7 protein in arterial pulmonary hypertension still needs to be clarified (Dong H et al. 2021).

Diseases associated with FGF7 include Apert syndrome. Functions associated with this gene include growth factor activity and chemoattractant activity. An important paralog of this gene is FGF10.

1. Ågren MS et al. (2022) Gene Expression Linked to Reepithelialization of Human Skin Wounds. Int J Mol Sci 23:15746.
2. Dong H et al. (2021) Integrated bioinformatic analysis reveals the underlying molecular mechanism of and potential drugs for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Aging (Albany NY) 13:14234-14257.