Heparin-based hydrogels are attractive for controlled growth factor delivery, due to the native ability of heparin to bind and stabilize growth factors. Basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor are heparin-binding growth factors that synergistically enhance angiogenesis. Mild, in situ encapsulation of both basic fibroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial grow...

A calcium-permeable, voltage-insensitive non-specific cation channel that is activated by cytoplasmic calcium was found in approximately 50% of the cell-attached patches in cultured human retinal glial cells sampled by the patch clamp technique. Spontaneous openings of this channel were infrequent, but increased markedly when glial cells were exposed to basic fibroblast growth factor. Although ...

In this issue of Chemistry & Biology, Kim and colleagues describe their work on optogenetic control of fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) signaling. By engineering a chimeric receptor, the authors demonstrate that FGFR intracellular signaling can be controlled in space and time by blue light.

The conformational stability and the folding properties of the all-beta-type protein human basic fibroblast growth factor (hFGF-2) were studied by means of fluorescence spectroscopy. The results show that the instability of the biological activity of hFGF-2 is also reflected in a low conformational stability of the molecule. The reversibility of the unfolding and refolding process was establish...

The cDNA sequence coding for human basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) has been cloned downstream of a transcription promoter recognized by the bacteriophage T7 RNA polymerase. Initiation of translation at the fgf gene has been coupled to upstream translation of a fragment of the T7 phi 10 gene. Expression of the fgf gene in this system can lead to an accumulation of approximately 40 mg/liter...

The rabbit is an important and de facto animal model in the study of ischemic disease and angiogenic therapy. Additionally, fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF-1) is emerging as one of the most important growth factors for novel proangiogenic and pro-arteriogenic therapy. However, despite its significance, the fundamental biophysical properties of rabbit FGF-1, including its X-ray structure, have n...