Any member of a family of more than twenty protein growth factors involved in angiogenesis, wound healing, and, in early embryonic development, induction of mesoderm, patterning and morphogenesis, and development of the limbs and brain.
See also: sonic hedgehog
Source: PAC, 2016, 88, 713. 'Glossary of terms used in developmental and reproductive toxicology (IUPAC Recommendations 2016)' on page 755 (https://doi.org/10.1515/pac-2015-1202)