In normal tissue, basic fibroblast growth factor is present in basement membranes and in the subendothelial extracellular matrix of blood vessels. It stays membrane-bound as long as there is no signal peptide. It has been hypothesized that, during both wound healing of normal tissues and tumor development, the action of heparan sulfate-degrading enzymes activates bFGF, thus mediating the formation of new blood vessels, a process known as angiogenesis. Alternative Names: HBGF-2 protein, FGFB protein, BFGF protein, FGF 2 protein, fibroblast growth factor 2 protein, FGF 2, fibroblast growth factor 2, FGF2 protein, FGF-2, FGF2, FGF-2 protein