title: Deficiency of vascular endothelial growth factor-D does not affect murine adipose tissue development.
abstract: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-D deficiency had no significant effect on total body weight or on subcutaneous (SC) or gonadal (GON) adipose tissue mass of mice kept on a standard fat (SFD) or a high fat diet (HFD) for 15 weeks. The composition of SC and GON adipose tissues of VEGF-D deficient mice in terms of size and density of adipocytes or blood vessels was also comparable to that of wild-type control mice. Staining of lymphatic vessels in adipose tissue sections did not reveal marked differences between both genotypes. The absence of an effect of VEGF-D deficiency could not be explained by compensatory increases of VEGF-C expression in adipose tissues of the deficient mice. Thus, our data do not support an important role of VEGF-D in (lymph) angiogenesis or in adipose tissue development.
authors.affiliation: Center for Molecular and Vascular Biology, KU Leuven, Campus Gasthuisberg, O & N 1, Herestraat 49, Box 911, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Lijnen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Frederix
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Van Hoef
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dewerchin
mesh_terms: D050156:Adipogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000235:genetics; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D042583:Lymphangiogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D042643:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor D / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D042643:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor D