Placental growth factor neutralising antibodies give limited anti-angiogenic effects in an in vitro organotypic angiogenesis model.
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor (VEGFR) mediated signalling drives angiogenesis. This is predominantly attributed to the activity of VEGFR-2 following binding of VEGF-A. Whether other members of the VEGFR and ligand families such as VEGFR-1 and its ligand Placental Growth Factor (PlGF) can also contribute to developmental and pathological angiogenesis is less clear. We explored the function of PlGF in VEGF-A dependent angiogenesis using an in vitro co-culture assay in which endothelial cells are cultured on a fibroblast feeder layer. In the presence of 2% FS MCDB media (containing limited growth factors) in vitro endothelial tube formation is driven by endogenous angiogenic stimuli which are produced by the fibroblast and endothelial cells. Under these conditions independent sequestration of either free VEGF-A or PlGF with polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies inhibited tube formation suggesting that both ligands are required to drive an angiogenic response. Endothelial tube formation could only be driven within this assay by the addition of exogenous VEGF-A, VEGF-E or VEGF-A/PlGF heterodimer, but not by PlGF alone, implying that activation of either VEGFR-2/VEGFR-1 heterodimers or VEGFR-2 homodimers were responsible for eliciting an angiogenic response directly, but not VEGFR-1 homodimers. In contrast to results obtained with an endogenous angiogenic drive, sequestration of PlGF did not affect endothelial tube formation when the assay was driven by 1 ng/ml exogenous VEGF-A. These data suggest that although neutralising PlGF can be shown to reduce endothelial tube formation in vitro, this effect is only observed under restricted culture conditions and is influenced by VEGF-A. Such data questions whether neutralising PlGF would have a therapeutic benefit in vivo in the presence of pathological concentrations of VEGF-A.
Cancer Bioscience, AstraZeneca, Alderley Park, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK10 4TG, UK.
Sandra R
SR
Brave
Cath
C
Eberlein
Masabumi
M
Shibuya
Stephen R
SR
Wedge
Simon T
ST
Barry
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002196:Capillaries / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000276:immunology* / Q000494:pharmacology; D055503:Protein Multimerization / Q000187:drug effects; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism
D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; C000608036:PGF protein, human; D011257:Pregnancy Proteins; D042442:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors; D000072483:Placenta Growth Factor; D040262:Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor