title: Nucleotide sequence and expression of the feline vascular endothelial growth factor.
abstract: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an angiogenic factor which targets vascular endothelial cells. In this study, cDNA encoding a feline VEGF (fVEGF) isoform was cloned from a feline lymphoid tumor cell line and sequenced. The fVEGF cDNA contained an open reading frame of 567 nucleotides coding for a polypeptide of 163 amino acids with a putative signal peptide of 26 amino acids. The predicted fVEGF amino acid sequence shared 98.4, 94.2 and 94.2% homology with the sequences of canine, bovine and human VEGF, respectively. Though predicted fVEGF polypeptide was two amino acid residues shorter than human VEGF165, a potential glycosylation site and regions critical for receptor binding were conserved in all the species examined. Transient expression of fVEGF in mammalian cells resulted in secretion of VEGF which could be detected by antibodies against human VEGF165. Furthermore, wide expression of fVEGF mRNA was observed in various feline tissues using RT-PCR methods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Internal Medicine, Faculty of Agriculture, The University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Leona
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Koga
authors.forename: Yoshitaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: Mitsuhiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yazawa
authors.forename: Sadatoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Kenichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Masuda
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohno
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsujimoto
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002415:Cats / Q000235:genetics*; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D008222:Lymphokines / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
chemical_list: D016228:Endothelial Growth Factors; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008222:Lymphokines; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C467484:VEGFA protein, human; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors