Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Is a Secreted Angiogenic Mitogen

TLDR

VEGF is a secreted, heparin‑binding growth factor that specifically stimulates vascular endothelial cells and induces angiogenesis, distinguishing it from other endothelial mitogens. The authors purified VEGF from bovine pituitary folliculostellate cell media and cloned bovine and human VEGF cDNAs from folliculostellate and HL60 leukemia cell libraries. Sequencing revealed that VEGF cDNAs encode hydrophilic proteins related to PDGF chains, indicate multiple molecular species, and transfected 293 cells produce a secreted mitogen that behaves like native VEGF.

Abstract

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was purified from media conditioned by bovine pituitary folliculostellate cells (FC). VEGF is a heparin-binding growth factor specific for vascular endothelial cells that is able to induce angiogenesis in vivo. Complementary DNA clones for bovine and human VEGF were isolated from cDNA libraries prepared from FC and HL60 leukemia cells, respectively. These cDNAs encode hydrophilic proteins with sequences related to those of the A and B chains of platelet-derived growth factor. DNA sequencing suggests the existence of several molecular species of VEGF. VEGFs are secreted proteins, in contrast to other endothelial cell mitogens such as acidic or basic fibroblast growth factors and platelet-derived endothelial cell growth factor. Human 293 cells transfected with an expression vector containing a bovine or human VEGF cDNA insert secrete an endothelial cell mitogen that behaves like native VEGF.