Characterization and possible roles of fibroblast growth factors in retinal photoreceptor cells

There is increasing evidence that soluble polypeptide growth factors such as those belonging to the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family play important roles in many aspects of photoreceptor cell biology, including differentiation, continued survival and pathology. At least two members of this family, acidic FGF and basic FGF, are synthesized by, bind to and have profound effects upon these highly specialized retinal first-order neurons. The present review presents an overview of the evidence accumulated to date and will try to suggest future directions for research.