Expression of the fibroblast growth factor receptor genes in fracture repair

The spatial and temporal expression domains of the fibroblast growth factor receptor genes were examined in the healing rat femur fracture by in situ hybridization. Fibroblast growth factor receptor gene expression was detected in diverse fracture tissues throughout healing. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 and 2 expression was present throughout fracture repair, in the early proliferating periosteal mesenchyme, in the osteoblasts during intramembranous bone formation, and in the chondrocytes and osteoblasts during endochondral bone formation. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 expression colocalized with fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 and 2 expression in the chondrocytes and osteoblasts beginning at 10 days of healing, and persisted throughout endochondral bone formation. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 recapitulated its expression in fetal skeletal development, suggesting that it has a similar function in the control of endochondral bone growth during fracture repair. Fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 expression was not observed at any time. The extensive colocalized expression of the fibroblast growth factor receptors in healing indicates that fibroblast growth factor regulation of fracture callus maturation is extensive, and accurate identification of the receptor isoforms is necessary to establish the functions of fibroblast growth factor family members in fracture repair.