Basic fibroblast growth factor is synthesized in cultured retinal pigment epithelial cells.

Cultured cells derived from bovine retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) express the basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) gene and they contain 3.7 and 7.0 kb bFGF gene transcripts which are translated into immunoreactive bFGF of Mr 17,500 and 18,000, respectively. The RPE cell-derived bFGF is bioactive, i.e., it can stimulate the proliferation of capillary endothelial cells and the stimulation of cell proliferation is blocked by anti-bFGF antibodies. We suggest that RPE cell-derived bFGF may be involved in the repair mechanisms following retinal injury and in the intravitreal pseudoneoplastic proliferation of the injured RPE.