The first tissue specific angiogenic mitogen

Many proliferative functions are reliant on the development of an adequate vascular network. The vascular endothelial cells that form the basis of the vasculature are stimulated to grow in a non-tissue specific manner by well-characterized endothelial mitogens. In August 30 Nature Jennifer LeCouter and colleagues from Genentech Inc., San Francisco, California describe a new molecule that encourages blood vessel formation and is specific for endocrine gland endothelium.

LeCouter et al. screened a library of purified human secreted proteins for the ability to induce proliferation in primary bovine adrenal-cortex-derived capillary endothelial cells. They found that one factor (subsequently named endocrine-gland-derived vascular endothelial growth factor - EG–VEGF) induced proliferation, migration and fenestration (the production of specialized plasma membrane discontinuities) in capillary endothelial cells from the adrenal gland, but had little or no effect on a variety of other endothelial and non-endothelial cell from other organs (Nature 2001, 412:877-884).

EG–VEGF is the first ...