VEGF: Vascular endothelial growth factor

VEGF is homodimeric, disulfide-linked glycoprotein cytokine that serves as the ligand for FLT1 (VEGFR-1 receptor) and FLK1 (VEGFR-2 receptor) tyrosine kinases. It is a key modulator of physiological angiogenesis, vasculogenesis, and endothelial cell growth during basic developmental processes such as embryogenesis, skeletal growth, and reproductive functions. The VEGF ligand/receptor signaling system stimulates endothelial cell proliferation, blood vessel permeabilization, cell migration, and inhibition of apoptosis. There exist several widely expressed isoforms (VEGF189, VEGF165 and VEGF121) as well as some that are not as commonly found (VEGF206 and VEGF145). The basic VEGF189 isoform is cell-associated after secretion and is bound avidly by heparin and the extracellular matrix (ECM).

Immunohistochemistry-Paraffin: VEGF Antibody

VEGF is regulated by a huge array of substances: growth factors, cytokines, gonadotropins, nitric oxide, hypoxia, hypoglycemia and oncogenic mutations. VEGF polymorphisms are associated with susceptibility to multiple cancers and thus the VEGF antibody has been extensively used to characterize, dissect, and gain an in-depth understanding of various pathways in a vast array of tumor-specific models. Giatromanolaki et al used the VEGF antibody to create extensive expression profiles using six markers on 120 cases of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs)¹. Adams’ group published a comparative study on the role of VEGF in breast cancer, and relied upon the VEGF antibody to monitor VEGF levels in plasma and serum compartments². Interesting results with the VEGF antibody from Salgado’s group implicate IL-6-mediated upregulation of VEGF as an intrinsic link between haemostasis and angiogenesis in a variety of tumors³. The VEGF antibody also enabled NIH researchers to demonstrate a positive feedback loop between VEGF and the motility stimulating autotaxin protein in ovarian cancers⁴. VEGF may even be involved in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as use of the VEGF antibody in IBD patients confirmed a defective VEGF response ability⁵. Novus Biologicals offers VEGF reagents for your research needs including: