FGFR4 is a member of the fibroblast growth factor receptor family which play a role in mitogenesis and differentiation. FGFR4 preferentially binds acidic fibroblast growth factor and is overexpressed in gynecological tumor samples, suggesting a role in breast and ovarian tumorigenesis. FGFR4 gene expression is up-regulated in doxorubicin-treated, apoptosisresistant cancer cell clones. Ectopic expression of FGFR4 in cancer cells leads to reduced apoptosis sensitivity on treatment with doxorubicin or cyclophosphamide, whereas knockdown of endogenous FGFR4 expression in breast cancer cell lines has the opposite effect.
Ba/F3 cell, a murine interleukin-3 dependent pro-B cell line, is a popular system for exploring both kinases and their inhibitors, because some protein kinases can render the Ba/F3 cells to be depended on the activation of the kinases instead of IL-3 supplement, while their inhibitors can antagonize the kinase-dependent growth effects.