title: Myeloid leukemias express a broad spectrum of VEGF receptors including neuropilin-1 (NRP-1) and NRP-2.
abstract: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is produced in neoplastic cells in various myeloid neoplasms and may act as an autocrine growth-regulator. We have examined the expression of five VEGF receptors (VEGR1/Flt-1, VEGFR2/KDR, Flt-4, neuropilin-1 = NRP-1, NRP-2) in leukemic cells obtained from patients with acute myeloid leukemia (n = 28), chronic myeloid leukemia (n = 14), chronic eosinophilic leukemia (n = 3), chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (n = 9), or mast cell leukemia/systemic mastocytosis (n = 3) as well as in respective cell lines. Expression of VEGFR mRNA was analyzed by RT-PCR, and expression of VEGFR protein by immunocytochemistry. In most patients, leukemic cells expressed NRP-1 mRNA and NRP-2 mRNA independent of the type of disease. By contrast, transcripts for Flt-1, KDR, and Flt-4 were expressed variably without a clear correlation to the type of leukemia. Expression of VEGF receptors was also demonstrable at the protein level in all cases tested. In conclusion, neoplastic cells in myeloid leukemias frequently express VEGFR including NRP-1 and NRP-2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, Division of Hematology and Hemostaseology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vales
authors.forename: Rudin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Karl J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Aichberger
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mayerhofer
authors.forename: Birgit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kainz
authors.forename: Wolfgang R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Sperr
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sillaber
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Jäger
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Valent
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015973:Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic; D006801:Humans; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic; D039942:Neuropilin-1 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D039943:Neuropilin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D039943:Neuropilin-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D039942:Neuropilin-1; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor