Initiation of mammalian liver development from endoderm by fibroblast growth factors

The signaling molecules that elicit embryonic induction of the liver from t he mammalian gut endoderm or induction of other gut-derived organs are unkn own. Close proximity of cardiac mesoderm, which expresses fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) 1, 2, and 8, causes the foregut endoderm to develop into th e liver. Treatment of isolated foregut endoderm from mouse embryos with FGF 1 or FGF2, but not FGF8, was sufficient to replace cardiac mesoderm as an i nducer of the Liver gene expression program, the latter being the first ste p of hepatogenesis. The hepatogenic; response was restricted to endoderm ti ssue, which selectively coexpresses FGF receptors 1 and 4. Further studies with FGFs and their specific inhibitors showed that FGF8 contributes to the morphogenetic outgrowth of the hepatic endoderm. Thus, different FGF signa ls appear to initiate distinct phases of liver development during mammalian organogenesis.