Expression of bFGF, KGF and FGF receptors on normal oral mucosa and SCC

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are involved in the transmission of signals between the epithelia and connective tissue, and influence epidermal growth and differentiation. They are thought to be important in the restoration of normal tissues after injury and aberrant expression may also play a role in tumorigenesis. However, no information is available on the nature of cells within oral mucosa which synthesise and/or respond to FGFs. We have screened normal oral mucosa and oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) for expression of bFGF by immunohistology and northern analysis and used RT-PCR to look for transcripts for KGF and the high-affinity FGF receptors FGFR1 and FGFR2. Transcripts for bFGF were detected in normal and malignant oral mucosa and KGF within connective tissue elements. The predominant FGF receptor detected in the epidermis and oral mucosa was FGFR2 which binds KGF with greater affinity than bFGF. Production of KGF by connective tissue components and synthesis of the high-affinity KGF receptor, FGFR2, by oral keratinocytes provides circumstantial evidence for a paracrine growth control loop with KGF synthesised within the lamina propria or tumour stroma influencing the proliferation and maturation of both normal oral epithelium and SCC.