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Molecular and Cellular Biology, April 1999, p. 2958-2966, Vol. 19, No. 4
Department of Molecular Genetics, University
of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois
60607-7170
Received 18 September 1998/Returned for modification 11 December
1998/Accepted 21 December 1998
Fisp12 was first identified as a secreted protein encoded by a
growth factor-inducible immediate-early gene in mouse fibroblasts, whereas its human ortholog, CTGF (connective tissue growth factor), was
identified as a mitogenic activity in conditioned media of human
umbilical vein endothelial cells. Fisp12/CTGF is a member of a family
of secreted proteins that includes CYR61, Nov, Elm-1, Cop-1/WISP-2, and
WISP-3. Fisp12/CTGF has been shown to promote cell adhesion and
mitogenesis in both fibroblasts and endothelial cells and to
stimulate cell migration in fibroblasts. These findings, together with the localization of Fisp12/CTGF in angiogenic tissues, as
well as in atherosclerotic plaques, suggest a possible role for
Fisp12/CTGF in the regulation of vessel growth during development, wound healing, and vascular disease. In this study, we show that purified Fisp12 (mCTGF) protein promotes the adhesion of microvascular endothelial cells through the integrin receptor
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Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Fisp12/Mouse Connective Tissue Growth Factor Mediates Endothelial
Cell Adhesion and Migration through Integrin
v
3, Promotes Endothelial Cell Survival,
and Induces Angiogenesis In Vivo
v
3. Furthermore, Fisp12 stimulates the
migration of microvascular endothelial cells in culture, also through
an integrin-
v
3-dependent mechanism. In addition, the presence of Fisp12 promotes endothelial cell survival
when cells are plated on laminin and deprived of growth factors, a
condition that otherwise induces apoptosis. In vivo, Fisp12 induces
neovascularization in rat corneal micropocket implants. These results
demonstrate that Fisp12 is a novel angiogenic inducer and suggest a
direct role for Fisp12 in the adhesion, migration, and survival of
endothelial cells during blood vessel growth. Taken together with the
recent finding that the related protein CYR61 also induces
angiogenesis, we suggest that Fisp12/mCTGF and CYR61 comprise
prototypes of a new family of angiogenic regulators that function, at
least in part, through
integrin-
v
3-dependent pathways.
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Department of
Molecular Genetics, University of Illinois at Chicago College of
Medicine, 900 South Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60607-7170. Phone: (312)
996-6978. Fax: (312) 996-7034. E-mail: lflau{at}uic.edu.
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