The vascular endothelial growth factor family has recently been expanded by the isolation of two new VEGF-related factors, VEGF-B and VEGF-C. The physiological functions of these factors are largely unknown. Here we report the cloning and characterization of mouse VEGF-C, which is produced as a disulfide-linked dimer of 415 amino acid residue polypeptides, sharing an 85% identity with the human VEGF-C amino acid sequence. The recombinant mouse VEGF-C protein was secreted from transfected cells as VEGFR-3 (Flt4) binding polypeptides of 30–32x10(3) Mr and 22–23x10(3) Mr which preferentially stimulated the autophosphorylation of VEGFR-3 in comparison with VEGFR-2 (KDR). In in situ hybridization, mouse VEGF-C mRNA expression was detected in mesenchymal cells of postimplantation mouse embryos, particularly in the regions where the lymphatic vessels undergo sprouting from embryonic veins, such as the perimetanephric, axillary and jugular regions. In addition, the developing mesenterium, which is rich in lymphatic vessels, showed strong VEGF-C expression. VEGF-C was also highly expressed in adult mouse lung, heart and kidney, where VEGFR-3 was also prominent. The pattern of expression of VEGF-C in relation to its major receptor VEGFR-3 during the sprouting of the lymphatic endothelium in embryos suggests a paracrine mode of action and that one of the functions of VEGF-C may be in the regulation of angiogenesis of the lymphatic vasculature.
Development/DMM Virtual Meeting 2021
Development presents...
The people behind the papers – Adrian Danescu, Lisanne Rens and Joy Richman
A new paper in Development combines high-resolution live imaging and mathematical modelling to understand the dynamics of facial symmetry. In an interview, first authors Adrian Danescu and Lisanne Rens, and the corresponding author Joy Richman, tell us more.
Special issue: call for papers
The Immune System in Development and Regeneration
Guest editors: Florent Ginhoux and Paul Martin
Submission deadline: 1 September 2021
Publication: Spring 2022
Read & Publish agreement with EIFL
We are pleased to announce that researchers in 30 developing and transition economy countries can benefit from immediate and fee-free Open Access publishing in Development following a new agreement with Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL).
We now have over 200 institutions in more than 20 countries and six library consortia participating in our read & Publish initiative. Find out more and view the full list of participating institutions.
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