Description
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) stimulates vascular permeability and actively mediates both angiogenesis and vasculogenesis in the fetus as well as the adult. It binds to transmembrane receptors (VEGF R1 and R2) on endothelial cells, thereby promoting endothelial proliferation, migration and survival, and inhibiting apoptosis. VEGF is required during embryogenesis and has a role in wound healing in adults. Alternately spliced isoforms of VEGF have been identified in the mouse, consisting of 120, 164 and 188 amino acids (aa). VEGF164 shares 97% aa sequence identity with the corresponding regions of rat and 89% with human, and its biological activities are not species-specific.biological activities are not species-specific