Bernardini G, Spinetti G, Ribatti D, Camarda G, Morbidelli L, Ziche M, Santoni A, Capogrossi M C, Napolitano M
Laboratory of Vascular Pathology, Istituto Dermopatico dell'Immacolata-Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Rome, Italy.
Blood. 2000 Dec 15;96(13):4039-45.
Several chemokines have been shown to act as angiogenic molecules or to modulate the activity of growth factors such as fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The detection of the CC chemokine receptor (CCR) 8 message in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) by reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and RNase protection assay (RPA), prompted us to investigate the potential role exerted by the CC chemokine I-309, a known ligand of such receptor, in both in vitro and in vivo angiogenesis assays. We show here that I-309 binds to endothelial cells, stimulates chemotaxis and invasion of these cells, and enhances HUVEC differentiation into capillary-like structures in an in vitro Matrigel assay. Furthermore, I-309 is an inducer of angiogenesis in vivo in both the rabbit cornea and the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay (CAM).
