FGF12 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, cell growth, morphogenesis, tissue repair, tumor growth, and invasion. FGF12 lacks the N-terminal signal sequence present in most of the FGF family members, but it contains clusters of basic residues that have been demonstrated to act as a nuclear localization signal. When transfected into mammalian cells, FGF12 accumulated in the nucleus, but was not secreted. The specific function of FGF12 gene has not yet been determined. Two alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding distinct isoforms have been reported.
