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.[6] FGFs act through a family of four FGF receptors. Binding is complicated and requires both interaction of the FGF molecule with an FGF receptor and binding to heparin through a heparin binding domain. Endocrine FGFs lack a heparin binding domain and thus can be released into the circulation.
A single-nucleotide polymorphism of the FGF21 gene – the FGF21 rs838133 variant (frequency 44.7%) – has been identified as a genetic mechanism responsible for the sweet toothbehavioral phenotype, a trait associated with cravings for sweets and high sugar consumption, in both humans and mice.[11][12][13]
^"Human PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^"Mouse PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^Nishimura T, Nakatake Y, Konishi M, Itoh N (June 2000). "Identification of a novel FGF, FGF-21, preferentially expressed in the liver". Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Gene Structure and Expression. 1492 (1): 203–6. doi:10.1016/S0167-4781(00)00067-1. PMID10858549.