title: Identification of the heparin-binding region of snake venom vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-F) and its blocking of VEGF-A165.
abstract: VEGF-A165 displays multiple effects through binding to KDR (VEGFR-2). Heparin/heparan sulfate-like molecules are known to greatly modulate their interaction. In fact, VEGF-A lacking a C-terminal heparin-binding region exhibits significantly reduced mitogenic activity. We recently found novel heparin-binding VEGFs in snake venom, designated VEGF-Fs, which specifically recognize KDR, rather than other VEGF receptors. VEGF-Fs virtually lack the C-terminal heparin-binding region when compared with other heparin-binding VEGF subtypes, despite their heparin-binding potential. The C-terminal region does not exhibit any significant homology with other known proteins or domains. In this study, we attempted to identify the heparin-binding region of VEGF-F using synthetic peptides. The C-terminal peptide of vammin (one of the VEGF-Fs, 19 residues) bound to heparin with similar affinity as native vammin. We then evaluated the effects of this peptide on the biological activity of VEGF-A165. The C-terminal peptide of VEGF-F exhibited specific blockage of VEGF-A165 activity both in vitro and in vivo. These observations demonstrate that the short C-terminal region of VEGF-F functions fully as the active heparin-binding domain and the corresponding peptide specifically blocks VEGF-A165, thus suggesting that the C-terminal heparin-binding region of VEGF-F recognizes similar heparin/heparan sulfate molecules as VEGF-A165. The present results will provide novel insight into VEGF-heparin interaction and may facilitate the design of new anti-VEGF drugs based on novel strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Meiji Pharmaceutical University, 2-522-1, Noshio, Kiyose, Tokyo 204-8588, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamazaki
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tokunaga
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takani
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morita
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D006493:Heparin / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D014471:Umbilical Veins; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000737:chemistry*; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology; D014757:Viper Venoms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017819:Viperidae
chemical_list: D010446:Peptide Fragments; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors; D014757:Viper Venoms; D006493:Heparin