The Role that FGF and FGFR play in Glioblastoma Multifrome

FGF-1 and FGF-2 are mitogens and chemo attractants that both play an important role in angiogenesis (Friesel et al, 1995). Their biological activity is mediated by RKS’s receptor tyrosine kinases, modulating endothelial cell activity and regulating VEGF expression in tumor cells (Choudhury et al, 2010).

Figure 7: uPA leads to degradation of the extracellular matrix (Universita Degli Studi di Brescia b, 2013)

FGF-2 up regulates and induces the presence of uPA and collagenase (Sahni et al, 2004) in endothelial cells as well as potentiating the presence of VEGF on GBM in a dose dependent manner (D'Orazio et al, 1997). uPA is important because it converts inactive zymogen plasminogen to active proteolytic enzyme plasmin (Ribatti et al, 1999). This in turn degrades the extracellular matrix components: fibronectin and laminin allowing endothelial cell migration (Lamalice et al, 2013).