Description
VEGFB, a member ofthe VEGF family, is a potent growth and antigenic cytokine. It promotes DNAsynthesis in endothelial cells, helps regulate angiogenesis and vascularpermeability, and inhibits apoptosis in certain smooth muscle cells andneurons. VEGFB is expressed in all tissues except the liver. It forms cellsurfaced-associated disulfide linked homodynes and can form heterodynes withVEGF-A. There are two known isoforms, formed by alternative splicing, whichhave been designated VEGFB167 and VEGFB186. Both forms have identicalamino-terminal sequences encoding a "cytokine knot" like structural motif,but differ in their carboxyl-terminal domains