Hu Recom VEGF-165, ACF, 10 µg

STEMCELL Technologies supplies an animal component–free preparation of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF-165), a heparin-binding homodimeric glycoprotein central to embryonic vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. The factor signals through FLT1 (VEGFR-1) and KDR (VEGFR-2), engaging the Raf/MEK/ERK and PI3K/AKT cascades, and exerts neurotrophic effects on central nervous system neurons, supporting growth and survival of dopaminergic neurons and astrocytes. It also promotes growth and survival of vascular endothelial cells, monocyte chemotaxis, and colony formation by granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells. VEGF mRNA is alternatively spliced into pro-angiogenic VEGFxxx and anti-angiogenic VEGFxxxb isoforms, with the 165-amino-acid form presented here as a homodimer of two 165-residue polypeptide chains.

The recombinant protein is produced in E. coli and purified to ≥ 95%, with a predicted molecular mass of 19.3 kDa per monomer and 38.6 kDa for the dimer. It is cross-reactive with mouse and rat, and endotoxin is measured at ≤ 1 EU/μg by kinetic LAL analysis. Specific activity is ≥ 1.0 x 10^5 units/mg, with an EC50 ≤ 10 ng/mL in a cell proliferation assay using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs); a representative determination gave an EC50 of 3.35 ng/mL. The product is lyophilized from a sterile-filtered aqueous solution containing 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid and should be reconstituted in sterile water to at least 0.1 mg/mL by pipetting down the sides of the vial without vortexing. Store at -20°C to -80°C; the material is stable as supplied for 12 months from the date of receipt.