CELLULAR-DISTRIBUTION, SUBCELLULAR-LOCALIZATION AND POSSIBLE FUNCTIONS OF BASIC AND ACIDIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH-FACTORS

The distribution in the rat nervous system of acidic and basic fibrobl ast growth factors (FGFs) was analysed by a combination of biochemical and anatomical method. Acidic FGF (aFGF) was found to be present excl usively in specific neuronal populations, such as motor neurons and ba sal forebrain cholinergic neurons. Basic FGF (bFGF) was found in astro cytes and in neurons in hippocampal area CA2. Within labelled astrocyt es and CA2-neurons, bFGF was detected in both the cytoplasm and the nu cleus. The levels of intracellular bFGF were manipulated by antisense oligonucleotide treatment of cultures of developing neural crest cells . Results indicated that the amount of melanogenesis in the cultures i s likely to be regulated by intracellular, possibly nuclear bFGF.