title: Vasculotropin/vascular endothelial growth factor is an autocrine growth factor for human retinal pigment epithelial cells cultured in vitro.
abstract: Vasculotropin (VAS), also called vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) or vascular permeability factor, is a secreted growth factor whose target cell specificity has been reported as restricted to vascular endothelium. Its effects are mediated by at least two distinct membrane-spanning tyrosine kinase receptors, KDR and flt-1; the expression of which also seems restricted to vascular endothelium. We describe here that cultured human retinal pigment epithelial (HRPE) cells express both KDR and flt-1 receptors, bind VAS/VEGF on two high affinity sites (apparent Kd of 9 and 210 pM corresponding to 940 and 18,800 sites per cell) and proliferate or migrate upon recombinant VAS/VEGF addition. HRPE cells also express the mRNA corresponding to the 121 and 165 amino acid forms of VAS/VEGF. HRPE cells release in their own culture medium and store in their extracellular matrix self-mitogenic and chemoattractant factors indistinguishable from 121 and 165 VAS/VEGF isoforms. The autocrine role of VAS/VEGF was confirmed by the inhibition of these bioactivities by neutralizing specific anti-VAS/VEGF antibodies.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire Eucaryote, UPR 9006 CNRS, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guerrin
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Moukadiri
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chollet
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moro
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dutt
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Malecaze
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Plouët
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006133:Growth Substances / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes / Q000235:genetics; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
chemical_list: D006133:Growth Substances; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors