Differential expression of fibroblast growth factor receptors during rat lens morphogenesis and growth

Abstract

Purpose. Fibroblast growth factors (FGF) play important roles in the developmental biology of the lens. Recently, it was shown that the expression of one of the FGF receptors, FGFK1 (flg; fibroblast growth factor receptor 1), was closely associated with the onset of lens fiber differentiation. In this study, the expression patterns of three other members of the FGF receptor family were analyzed and compared. Methods. The expression patterns of FGFR2 (bek and keratinocyte growth factor receptor [KGFR] variants) and FGFR3 were analyzed by in situ hybridization during embryonic and postnatal lens development. Results. In the ocular primordia, both FGFR2 variants were detected on embryonic day 1..