FGF-8 (fibroblast growth factor-8) has been known to play crucial roles in various developmental processes such as initiation, outgrowth and patterning of vertebrate limbs, especially in amniotes. However, it is not known whether FGF-8 plays similar r...
FGF-8 (fibroblast growth factor-8) has been known to play crucial roles in various developmental processes such as initiation, outgrowth and patterning of vertebrate limbs, especially in amniotes. However, it is not known whether FGF-8 plays similar roles in the developmental processes of amphibians. Here, we report a partial fragment cloning of an FGF-8 cDNA from embryo and limb blastema cDNA libraries of a salamander, Mexican axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum). The 1.27 kb cDNA fragment cloned in the present study contains a coding region covering 192 amino acid residues with conserved consensus amino acid residues of FGF family and shows 85% amino acid identity with that of mouse, and 91% amino acid identity with those of chick and Xenopus. Therefore, the cDNA clone obtained in the present study is believed to be a partial fragment of a putative FGF-8 cDNA of Mexican axolotl.