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Growth factors

Formation of endothelial cell networks

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Abstract

The growth factor VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) promotes the formation of blood vessels in a process known as angiogenesis by inducing the proliferation and migration of endothelial cells1. We show here that VEGF has another proangiogenic function — it can stimulate the elongation, network formation and branching of non-proliferating endothelial cells in culture that are deprived of oxygen and nutrients. As endothelial cells in tumours are exposed to chronic or intermittent hypoxic conditions2,3, we propose that autocrine endothelial VEGF contributes to the formation of blood vessels in a tumour and promotes its survival.

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Figure 1: VEGF produced by endothelial cells (ECs) promotes network formation in the hypoxic region of tumour-mimetic sandwich cultures.
Figure 2: Measurement of spatial and temporal gradients of pO2 and VEGF, and segment and branch lengths across the width of HUVEC sandwich cultures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiation Oncology, Steele Laboratory, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02114, Massachusetts, USA

    Gabriel Helmlinger, Mitsuhiro Endo & Rakesh K. Jain

  2. Genentech, South San Francisco, 94080, California, USA

    Napoleone Ferrara

  3. Department of Radiation Oncology Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, 02215, Massachusetts, USA

    Lynn Hlatky

Authors
  1. Gabriel Helmlinger
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  2. Mitsuhiro Endo
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  3. Napoleone Ferrara
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  4. Lynn Hlatky
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  5. Rakesh K. Jain
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Helmlinger, G., Endo, M., Ferrara, N. et al. Formation of endothelial cell networks. Nature 405, 139–141 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/35012132

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