Primary structure of bovine pituitary basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and comparison with the amino-terminal sequence of bovine brain acidic FGF

The two major mitogenic polypeptides for endothelial cells have been purified to homogeneity. The complete primary structure of bovine pituitary basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and the amino-terminal amino acid sequence of bovine brain acidic FGF have been established by gas-phase sequence analyses. Homogeneous preparations of these polypeptides are potent mitogens (basic FGF, ED50 approximately equal to 60 pg/ml; acidic FGF ED50 approximately equal to 6000 pg/ml) for many diverse cell types including capillary endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, and adrenocortical and granulosa cells; in vivo, basic FGF is a powerful angiogenic agent in the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay. The available protein sequence data demonstrate the existence of significant structural homology between the two polypeptides.