Fibroblast growth factor 7 (FGF-7) is a member of the FGF family, and acts exclusively through a subset of FGF receptor isoforms expressed predominantly by epithelial cells (Finch and Rubin). FGF-7 seems to act specifically on epithelial cells and stimulates proliferation, migration, and differentiation of these cells, and also participates in epithelial protection and repair both in vitro and in vivo (Finch and Rubin; Werner). In contrast, FGF-7 is produced solely by cells of mesenchymal origin, and functions as a paracrine mediator of mesenchymal-epithelial communication (Rubin et al.). FGF-7 has also been shown to supplement several wound-healing properties of bioengineered skin (Erdag et al.) and to induce autophagy in human keratinocytes (Belleudi et al.). Additionally, FGF-7 has a role in pluripotent stem cell differentiation to endodermal pancreatic-like insulin-producing cells and thymic epithelial cells (Inami et al.; Niu et al.).