VEGFA/VEGF164

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF/VEGF-A) is originally known as vascular permeability factor (VPF) . It belongs to the PDGF family with a cysteine-knot structure comprised of eight conserved cysteine residues, and reckoned as a potent mediator in the process of angiogenesis and vasculogenesis in either fetus or adult. VEGF is particularly expressed in supraoptic , paraventricular nuclei and the choroid plexus of the pituitary, and abundant in the corpus luteum of the ovary and in kidney glomeruli. The rat VEGF protein contains a putative 20 amino acids (aa) signal peptide, and alternative splicing of rat VEGF gene produces isoforms of 120, 144, 164 and 188 aa. Rat VEGF164 respectively displays 97% and 88% aa identity with that regions of mouse and human VEGF. VEGF can bind to the FLT1/VEGFR1 and KDR/VEGFR2 receptors, heparan sulfate and heparin, and play important roles in inducing endothelial cell proliferation, promoting cell migration, inhibiting apoptosis and inducing permeabilization of blood vessels.