Figure 2
From: Protein targets of inflammatory serine proteases and cardiovascular disease
Schematic of the different human FGF-2 forms: high molecular weight (HMW, 24, 22.5, 22 kDA) or low molecular weight (LMW, 18 kDa) expressed upon alternative translation from a unique mRNA. The HMW forms (black plus grey bars) are colinear extensions of LMW FGF-2 (black bar only), and are inactive or inhibitory on vascular cell migration. Upon tissue injury and cellular damage, thrombin cleaves all HMW FGF-2 forms exported in the extracellular environment in at least three different bonds (indicated as a unique white dotted line) upstream of the initiating methionine of 18 kDa FGF-2 thus generating an eighteen kDa-like FGF-2 form (ELF-2) that induces vascular cell proliferation and migration.