Structure and sequence of human FGF8

Recent evidence indicates that Fgf8 is expressed during vertebrate development in multiple locations involved in the patterning and outgrowth of important embryo structures. Cloning and analysis of the murine gene revealed at least eight potential protein isoforms that share a common carboxyl region, encoded by exons 2 and 3, but possess different amino termini, generated by alternative splicing of RNA encoded by multiple 5' exons (exons 1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D). We now report the cloning and sequence of the human FGF8 gene. Human FGF-8 isoforms are identical to their murine counterparts in the common carboxyl region. Four of the human isoforms are identical to, or very similar to, the murine isoforms in the amino termini. However, four of the potential murine isoforms do not have corresponding human isoforms due to marked sequence divergence, leading to a blocked reading frame in exon 1B of FGF8. The lack of the four murine isoforms in humans raises the question of their function in murine development.