PURPOSE: Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is crucial to retinal vascular growth, both normal and pathological. VEGF-B, recently characterized, is reported to be expressed in retinal tissues, but the importance of VEGF-B to retinal vascular development remained unknown. The aim of this study was to analyse retinal vascular growth in the Vegfb-/- knockout mouse. METHODS: Retinal vascular growth was measured in Vegfb-/- knockout mice raised under normal conditions, and Vegfb-/- knockout mice with an oxygen-induced proliferative retinopathy. Wild type Vegfb+/+ mice served as controls. Vessels were perfused with ink and retinal flatmounts secondarily labelled with FITC-lectin (BS-1, Griffonia simplicifolia). Area and diameter of retinal growth and retinal vascular growth were recorded over days 0-20, and capillary density and mean diameter recorded from day 17 pups. RESULTS: A variety of techniques confirmed that Vegfb+/+ mice expressed VEGF-B and that VEGF-B expression was absent in Vegfb-/- mice. Vegfb-/- mice raised in room air showed no significant differences from Vegfb+/+ controls. No differences were found in oxygen-induced retinopathy between Vegfb-/- and Vegfb+/+ pups in either the extent of the initial oxygen-induced ablation, or in the regrowth of retinal vessels or vitreal (neovascular) sprouts; vitreal sprouts are important markers of the abnormal proliferative response, and are maximally expressed on day 17 in this model of oxygen-induced retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that a lack of VEGF-B does not significantly affect development of the retinal vasculature under normal conditions, nor does it appear to affect the proliferative retinal responses seen in oxygen-induced retinopathy.
PURPOSE:Vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) is crucial to retinal vascular growth, both normal and pathological. VEGF-B, recently characterized, is reported to be expressed in retinal tissues, but the importance of VEGF-B to retinal vascular development remained unknown. The aim of this study was to analyse retinal vascular growth in the Vegfb-/- knockout mouse. METHODS:Retinal vascular growth was measured in Vegfb-/- knockout mice raised under normal conditions, and Vegfb-/- knockout mice with an oxygen-induced proliferative retinopathy. Wild type Vegfb+/+ mice served as controls. Vessels were perfused with ink and retinal flatmounts secondarily labelled with FITC-lectin (BS-1, Griffonia simplicifolia). Area and diameter of retinal growth and retinal vascular growth were recorded over days 0-20, and capillary density and mean diameter recorded from day 17 pups. RESULTS: A variety of techniques confirmed that Vegfb+/+ mice expressed VEGF-B and that VEGF-B expression was absent in Vegfb-/- mice. Vegfb-/- mice raised in room air showed no significant differences from Vegfb+/+ controls. No differences were found in oxygen-induced retinopathy between Vegfb-/- and Vegfb+/+ pups in either the extent of the initial oxygen-induced ablation, or in the regrowth of retinal vessels or vitreal (neovascular) sprouts; vitreal sprouts are important markers of the abnormal proliferative response, and are maximally expressed on day 17 in this model of oxygen-induced retinopathy. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that a lack of VEGF-B does not significantly affect development of the retinal vasculature under normal conditions, nor does it appear to affect the proliferative retinal responses seen in oxygen-induced retinopathy.
Authors: Fan Zhang; Zhongshu Tang; Xu Hou; Johan Lennartsson; Yang Li; Alexander W Koch; Pierre Scotney; Chunsik Lee; Pachiappan Arjunan; Lijin Dong; Anil Kumar; Tuomas T Rissanen; Bin Wang; Nobuo Nagai; Pierre Fons; Robert Fariss; Yongqing Zhang; Eric Wawrousek; Ginger Tansey; James Raber; Guo-Hua Fong; Hao Ding; David A Greenberg; Kevin G Becker; Jean-Marc Herbert; Andrew Nash; Seppo Yla-Herttuala; Yihai Cao; Ryan J Watts; Xuri Li Journal: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A Date: 2009-04-06 Impact factor: 11.205
Authors: Cristina Angelescu; Florin Burada; Mihai Ioana; Radu Angelescu; Emil Moraru; Anca Riza; Sanda Marchian; Francisc Mixich; Mihai Cruce; Adrian Săftoiu Journal: Clin Transl Oncol Date: 2012-08-08 Impact factor: 3.405
Authors: Xuri Li; Marc Tjwa; Inge Van Hove; Berndt Enholm; Elke Neven; Karri Paavonen; Michael Jeltsch; Toni Diez Juan; Richard E Sievers; Emmanuel Chorianopoulos; Hiromichi Wada; Maarten Vanwildemeersch; Agnes Noel; Jean-Michel Foidart; Matthew L Springer; Georges von Degenfeld; Mieke Dewerchin; Helen M Blau; Kari Alitalo; Ulf Eriksson; Peter Carmeliet; Lieve Moons Journal: Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol Date: 2008-05-29 Impact factor: 8.311