Identification of a novel human fibroblast growth factor and characterization of its role in oncogenesis

The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family of signaling molecules has been i mplicated in normal developmental and physiological processes, as well as i n human malignancy. Using a homology-based genomic DNA mining process, we i dentified a human gene encoding a novel member of the FGF family, that we d esignate FGF-20, The FGF-20 cDNA was isolated, and its sequence confirmed t he gene prediction. FGF-20 is expressed in normal brain, particularly the c erebellum, and in some cancer cell lines. Recombinant FGF-20 protein induce s DNA synthesis in a variety of cell types and is recognized by multiple FG F receptors, Ectopic expression of FGF-20 in NIH 3T3 cells renders the cell s transformed lit vitro and tumorigenic in nude mice. These results undersc ore the utility of mining genomic DNA databases and reveal FGF-20 to be a n ovel oncogene that may play a role in human cancer.