VEGF-C is a trophic factor for neural progenitors in the vertebrate embryonic brain.

Here is an interesting little side bar on the VEGF-C gene. This gene has long been identified with the development of the lymphatics. However, cutting edge research also has found a tie-in to the central nervous system.

The abstract:

From Nature Neuroscience

Feb 5, 2006

Le Bras B, Barallobre MJ, Homman-Ludiye J, Ny A, Wyns S, Tammela T, Haiko P, Karkkainen MJ, Yuan L, Muriel MP, Chatzopoulou E, Breant C, Zalc B, Carmeliet P, Alitalo K, Eichmann A, Thomas JL.

[1] Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche Medicale (INSERM), U711, Paris F-75013, France.

[2] Universite Pierre & Marie Curie, Faculte de Medecine Pitie Salpetriere, IFR 70, Paris F-75005, France.

[3] These authors contributed equally to this work.

Vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) was first identified as a regulator of the vascular system, where it is required for the development of lymphatic vessels. Here we report actions of VEGF-C in the central nervous system. We detected the expression of the VEGF-C receptor VEGFR-3 in neural progenitor cells in Xenopus laevis and mouse embryos. In Xenopus tadpole VEGF-C knockdowns and in mice lacking Vegfc, the proliferation of neural progenitors expressing VEGFR-3 was severely reduced, in the absence of intracerebral blood vessel defects. In addition, Vegfc-deficient mouse embryos showed a selective loss of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) in the embryonic optic nerve. In vitro, VEGF-C stimulated the proliferation of OPCs expressing VEGFR-3 and nestin-positive ventricular neural cells. VEGF-C thus has a new, evolutionary conserved function as a growth factor selectively required by neural progenitor cells expressing its receptor VEGFR-3.PMID: 16462734 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]