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Identification of a Novel Human Fibroblast Growth Factor and Characterization of Its Role in Oncogenesis

CuraGen Corporation, New Haven, Connecticut 06511

The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family of signaling molecules has been implicated in normal developmental and physiological processes, as well as in human malignancy. Using a homology-based genomic DNA mining process, we identified a human gene encoding a novel member of the FGF family, that we designate FGF-20. The FGF-20 cDNA was isolated, and its sequence confirmed the gene prediction. FGF-20 is expressed in normal brain, particularly the cerebellum, and in some cancer cell lines. Recombinant FGF-20 protein induces DNA synthesis in a variety of cell types and is recognized by multiple FGF receptors. Ectopic expression of FGF-20 in NIH 3T3 cells renders the cells transformed in vitro and tumorigenic in nude mice. These results underscore the utility of mining genomic DNA databases and reveal FGF-20 to be a novel oncogene that may play a role in human cancer.

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