FGF Signalling in Vertebrate Development

Description

The fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) represent one of the relatively few families of extracellular signalling peptides that have been shown in recent decades to be key regulators of metazoan development. FGFs are required for multiple processes in both protostome and deuterostome groups. Given the wide range of regulatory roles attributed to the FGFs, it is perhaps not surprising that misregulation of this signalling pathway has been implicated in a number of human disease conditions. The focus of the present review is to look at the fundamental components of the FGF pathway and illustrate how this highly conserved regulatory cassette has been deployed to regulate multiple, diverse processes during vertebrate development. This review will explore examples from several vertebrate model organisms and include discussions of the role of FGF signalling in regulating the establishment of the mesoderm, neural patterning, morphogenesis, myogenesis, limb development, and the establishment of right-left asymmetry. This volume is a printed version of a work that appears in the Colloquium Digital Library of Life Sciences. Colloquium titles cover all of cell and molecular biology and biomedicine, including the neurosciences, from the advanced undergraduate and graduate level up to the post-graduate and practicing researcher level. They offer concise, original presentations of important research and development topics, published quickly, in digital and print formats. For more information, visit www.morganclaypool.com (Source: Google Books API)