Differential expression of vascular endothelial growth factors and their receptors in multiple myeloma.
OBJECTIVE
Bone marrow angiogenesis is increased in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) and correlates with disease stage.


METHODS
Previous studies of quantifying vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptors (VEGFR) in plasma cells from patients at different stages of MM found no significant difference in expression between overt MM and earlier pre-malignant stages of the disease namely, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering multiple myeloma (SMM).


RESULTS
In this report we used quantitative flow cytometry to study cytoplasmic VEGF (cyVEGF) expression (measured as antibody binding capacity) in plasma cells from patients with MM (n = 22), MGUS/SMM (n = 12), and AL-amyloidosis (AL) (n = 9). CyVEGF expression was higher in MM (169,591) than in MGUS/SMM (144,858), or AL (106,011) although these differences were not statistically significant. Using an indirect VEGFR assay that measures VEGF binding, we found VEGF receptors on plasma cells from all groups of patients, with the lowest expression on plasma cells from normal individuals. We detected VEGF R1, VEGF R2, and VEGF R3 on plasma cells from all groups of patients and found receptor expression predominantly in the subset of CD45-positive plasma cells.


CONCLUSIONS
This study supports the concept that VEGF is involved in the pathogenesis of MM, and suggests that VEGF may differentially affect a subset of plasma cells.
Kimlinger
Teresa
T
Division of Hematology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Kline
Michael
M
Kumar
Shaji
S
Lust
John
J
Witzig
Thomas
T
Rajkumar
S Vincent
SV
D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism*; D012016:Reference Values; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism*
D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor