| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
From the Schepens Eye Research Institute* and the Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences and Departments of Ophthalmology and Pathology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
Although vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been well studied in both developmental and pathological angiogenesis, its role in mature blood vessels is poorly understood. A growing body of observations, including the side effects of anti-VEGF therapies as well as the role of soluble VEGFR1 in preeclampsia, points to an important role for VEGF in maintenance of stable blood vessels. To better understand the potential function of VEGF in mature vessels, a survey of VEGF localization in adult mice was conducted. In adult VEGF-lacZ mice, VEGF was expressed in a cell-specific manner by cells overlying fenestrated and sinusoidal blood vessels, including podocytes, choroid plexus epithelium, and hepatocytes, as well as in tissues with high metabolic demands or with secretory functions, such as cardiac and skeletal myocytes, Leydig cells, prostatic epithelium, and salivary serous epithelium. VEGF was not detected in most endothelium but was specifically expressed by aortic endothelial cells where VEGFR2 was found to be phosphorylated, indicating an autocrine loop. Additionally, VEGFR2 was constitutively phosphorylated in the liver, lung, adipose, and kidney in vivo, providing evidence consistent with a role for VEGF in adult tissues. These observations support the concept that VEGF acts in the adult to stabilize mature vessels.
This article has been cited by other articles:
 |
|
 |
|
  B. A. Bryan, T. E. Walshe, D. C. Mitchell, J. S. Havumaki, M. Saint-Geniez, A. S. Maharaj, A. E. Maldonado, and P. A. D'Amore Coordinated Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Expression and Signaling During Skeletal Myogenic Differentiation Mol. Biol. Cell, March 1, 2008; 19(3): 994 - 1006. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. S.R. Maharaj, T. E. Walshe, M. Saint-Geniez, S. Venkatesha, A. E. Maldonado, N. C. Himes, K. S. Matharu, S. A. Karumanchi, and P. A. D'Amore VEGF and TGF-{beta} are required for the maintenance of the choroid plexus and ependyma J. Exp. Med., February 18, 2008; 205(2): 491 - 501. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. Okazaki, S. Ebihara, M. Asada, S. Yamanda, Y. Saijo, Y. Shiraishi, T. Ebihara, K. Niu, H. Mei, H. Arai, et al. Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor Improves Cardiac Function after Ischemic Injury by Inducing Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Production and Survival of Cardiomyocytes Am. J. Pathol., October 1, 2007; 171(4): 1093 - 1103. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. Advani, D. J. Kelly, S. L. Advani, A. J. Cox, K. Thai, Y. Zhang, K. E. White, R. M. Gow, S. M. Marshall, B. M. Steer, et al. Role of VEGF in maintaining renal structure and function under normotensive and hypertensive conditions PNAS, September 4, 2007; 104(36): 14448 - 14453. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. J. Hwa, R. C. Fry, A. Sivaraman, P. T. So, L. D. Samson, D. B. Stolz, and L. G. Griffith Rat liver sinusoidal endothelial cells survive without exogenous VEGF in 3D perfused co-cultures with hepatocytes FASEB J, August 1, 2007; 21(10): 2564 - 2579. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 M. Ramsauer and P. A. D'Amore Contextual role for angiopoietins and TGFbeta1 in blood vessel stabilization J. Cell Sci., May 15, 2007; 120(10): 1810 - 1817. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Yla-Herttuala, T. T. Rissanen, I. Vajanto, and J. Hartikainen Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors: Biology and Current Status of Clinical Applications in Cardiovascular Medicine J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., March 13, 2007; 49(10): 1015 - 1026. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S Yoon, D Schmassmann-Suhijar, M Zuber, P Konietzny, and A Schmassmann Chemotherapy with bevacizumab, irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (IFL) associated with a large, embolizing thrombus in the thoracic aorta Ann. Onc., December 1, 2006; 17(12): 1851 - 1852. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
G. Ferrari, G. Pintucci, G. Seghezzi, K. Hyman, A. C. Galloway, and P. Mignatti VEGF, a prosurvival factor, acts in concert with TGF-beta1 to induce endothelial cell apoptosis PNAS, November 14, 2006; 103(46): 17260 - 17265. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 J. Bariety, C. Mandet, G. S. Hill, and P. Bruneval Parietal Podocytes in Normal Human Glomeruli J. Am. Soc. Nephrol., October 1, 2006; 17(10): 2770 - 2780. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
