Fibroblast growth factor 17 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''FGF17'' gene. The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family. FGF family members possess broad mitogenic and cell survival activities and are involved in a variety of biological processes, including

embryonic development An embryo is an initial stage of development of a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male sperm ...

cell growth, morphogenesis, tissue repair, tumor growth, and invasion. This gene was shown to be prominently expressed in the

cerebellum The cerebellum (Latin for "little brain") is a major feature of the hindbrain of all vertebrates. Although usually smaller than the cerebrum, in some animals such as the mormyrid fishes it may be as large as or even larger. In humans, the cerebel ...

and cortex. The mouse homolog of this gene was localized to specific sites in the midline structures of the forebrain, the midbrain-hindbrain junction, developing skeleton and developing arteries, which suggests a role in central nervous system, bone and vascular development. This gene was referred to as FGF-13 in reference 2, however, its amino acid sequence and chromosomal localization are identical to FGF17.

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