This gene overlaps and lies on the opposite strand from FGF2 gene, and is thought to be the FGF2 antisense gene. The two genes are independently transcribed, and their expression shows an inverse relationship, suggesting that this antisense transcript may regulate FGF2 expression. This gene has also been shown to have hormone-regulatory and antiproliferative actions in the pituitary that are independent of FGF2 expression. Alternatively spliced transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. [provided by RefSeq, Oct 2011].