VEGF, bovine

VEGF (Vascular endothelial growth factor) is the only growth factor that stimulates vascular permeability. It promotes endothelial proliferation and survival, angiogenesis, vasculognesis and inhibits apoptosis. VEGF mitogenic activity is specific for endothelial cell and that makes it distinct among other growth factors. VEGF is thought to be important in the pathophysiology of neuronal and other tumors, by functioning as a promter of angiogenesis for bovine gliomas. Bovine VEGF occurs in several molecular variants and the 165 form is the most common form in most tissues. Biological activities of VEGF are not species specific and glycosylation is not required for biological activity.

Recombinant MESOkine® VEGF, bovine is produced in the endosperm tissue of barley seed (Hordeum vulgare).

2xPBS pH 7.2, sterile filtered through 0.45 μm filter.

MESOkine® recombinant VEGF is purified from barley seeds resulting in an extract containing purified recombinant VEGF protein along with co-purified barley seed proteins. The amount of the recombinant VEGF protein is typically in the range of 0.1-5% of total purified protein content. The exact content of the growth factor is stated on the vials. The co-purified barley seed proteins may serve as stabilizing proteins that can prolong the lifetime of the recombinant protein during proper storage.

Reconstitute the lyophilized protein at 10-100 μg/ml in deionized water or a sterile buffer of your choice. Centrifuge the vial before reconstitution. Filter the solution with 0.45 μm filter if needed. The lyophilized protein is best stored at -20°C. Reconstituted protein should be used immediately or stored in working aliquots at -20°C. Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles.

Each batch of MESOkine® growth factor is tested for bioactivity and verified to have comparable activity to a corresponding commercial source of highly purified (>95%) growth factor. The bioactivity of MESOkine® recombinant bovine VEGF was determined by its dose dependent effect on proliferation of Bovine Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC). The ED50 for this effect is typically below 10 ng/ml corresponding to specific activity of above 1 x 10e5 U/mg. Optimal concentration should be determined for specific applications and cell lines.

Recombinant bovine MESOkine® VEGF contains 164 amino acids and a 6 a.a. histidine tag for a total length of 170 a.a. and has a predicted molecular mass of 20.0 kDa. As a result of glycosylation, the recombinant protein migrates with an apparent molecular mass of 25 - 27 kDa in SDS-PAGE.