Fibroblast growth factor 16 (FGF-16) belongs to the large FGF family. All FGF family members are heparin-binding growth factors with a core 120 amino acid (a.a.) FGF domain that allows for a common tertiary structure. FGF-16 was originally identified in rat heart tissue by homology based polymerase chain reaction. Murine FGF-16 cDNA predicts a 207 aa precursor protein with one N-linked glycosylation site. FGF-16 lacks a typical signal peptide, but is efficiently generated by mechanisms other than the classical protein secretion pathway. Among FGF family members, FGF-16 is most similar to FGF-9, sharing 73% aa sequence homology. Murine FGF-16 shares 99.5% and 99% aa sequence identity with the human and rat FGF-16, respectively.