PMID:8614412

Citation	Christofori, G, Naik, P and Hanahan, D (1995) Vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptors, flt-1 and flk-1, are expressed in normal pancreatic islets and throughout islet cell tumorigenesis. Mol. Endocrinol. 9:1760-70
Abstract	Endocrine organs, such as the pancreatic islets of Langerhans, contain permeable, fenestrated endothelium that allows direct access of endocrine cells to the blood stream. Factors that control differentiation and maintenance of this highly specialized endothelium remain unknown. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a multifunctional growth factor that may be responsible for the homeostasis of endocrine endothelium; it is a selective mitogen for endothelial cells and is able to permeabilize endothelium. We have analyzed the expression of VEGF mRNA and protein in pancreatic islet cells of normal mice and during the different stages of tumor progression in a transgenic mouse model of beta-cell carcinogenesis. The 120-amino acid and the 164-amino acid isoforms of VEGF are expressed in normal islets of Langerhans and are moderately up-regulated during the stages of tumor development. Two high-affinity receptors for VEGF, flt-1 and flk-1, are expressed by endothelial cells both in normal islets and in the stages of tumorigenesis; these receptors are not up-regulated during this process. Our data raise the possibility that VEGF is involved in the maintenance of permeable endothelium in islets of Langerhans, an observation that may have implications for islet cell physiology and diabetes. While VEGF may also play an important role in the growth of new blood vessels during islet cell tumorigenesis, it cannot be the only factor required for the activation of tumor angiogenesis.
Links	PubMed Online version:10.1210/mend.9.12.8614412
Keywords	Adenoma, Islet Cell/metabolism; Animals; Base Sequence; Endothelial Growth Factors/genetics; Gene Expression; Immunosorbent Techniques; In Situ Hybridization; Islets of Langerhans/metabolism; Lymphokines/genetics; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Molecular Sequence Data; Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger/metabolism; Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases/genetics; Receptors, Growth Factor/genetics; Receptors, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors
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Annotations

Gene product	Qualifier	GO Term	Evidence Code	with/from	Aspect	Extension	Notes	Status
MOUSE:VEGFA	part_of	GO:0005576: extracellular region	ECO:0000314: direct assay evidence used in manual assertion		C	part_of:(EMAPA:32927)	Seeded From UniProt	complete
MOUSE:VEGFA	enables	GO:0008201: heparin binding	ECO:0000314: direct assay evidence used in manual assertion		F	occurs_in:(EMAPA:32927)	Seeded From UniProt	complete

References

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