title: Vascular endothelial growth factor-B (VEGFB) stimulates neurogenesis: evidence from knockout mice and growth factor administration.
abstract: Vascular endothelial growth factor-B (VEGFB) is an angiogenic and neuroprotective protein that reduces hypoxic and ischemic neuronal injury. To determine if VEGFB also regulates neurogenesis in the adult brain, we studied the effects of VEGFB administration in vitro and in vivo, as well as the effect of VEGFB gene knockout (KO) in mice, on bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation and expression of immature neuronal markers in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the hippocampal dentate gyrus and the forebrain subventricular zone (SVZ). Intracerebroventricular VEGFB administration increased BrdU incorporation into cells of neuronal lineage both in vitro and in vivo, and VEGFB-KO mice showed impaired neurogenesis, consistent with a neurogenesis-promoting effect of VEGFB. In addition, intraventricular administration of VEGFB restored neurogenesis to wild-type levels in VEGFB-KO mice. These results suggest a role for VEGFB in the regulation of adult neurogenesis, which could have therapeutic implications for diseases associated with central neuronal loss.
authors.affiliation: Buck Institute for Age Research, 8001 Redwood Boulevard, Novato, CA 94945, USA.
authors.forename: Yunjuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Kunlin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Jocelyn T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Childs
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Xiao Ou
authors.initials: XO
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Greenberg
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D042561:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor B / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D042561:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor B; C467480:vascular endothelial growth factor A, mouse