Weich Herbert A, Bando Hiroko, Brokelmann Maren, Baumann Petra, Toi Masakazu, Barleon Bernhard, Alitalo Kari, Sipos Bence, Sleeman Jonathan
Department of Gene Regulation and Differentiation National Research Centre for Biotechnology (GBF), Mascheroder Weg 1, 38124 Braunschweig, Germany.
J Immunol Methods. 2004 Feb 15;285(2):145-55. doi: 10.1016/j.jim.2003.10.015.
Lymphangiogenesis plays an important role in several normal and pathological conditions such as wound healing, inflammation or metastasis formation in several malignancies. VEGF-C and VEGF-D are important and specific regulatory factors for lymphatic endothelial proliferation and lymphangiogenesis. In order to develop a highly sensitive and specific detection system for VEGF-C, we produced soluble binding proteins and antibodies for a microtiterplate-based assay. Here we describe a specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the measurement of human, rat and murine VEGF-C. The different antibodies developed against human and rat VEGF-C could be combined to detect processed and partially processed VEGF-C in a specific way. The ELISA was able to detect human and rat VEGF-C with a minimum detection limit of 100 pg/ml. The assay did not show any cross-reactivity with the related protein VEGF-D. Furthermore, complex formation with its soluble receptors VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3 did not restricted the sensitivity of the assay. Using this assay, VEGF-C was measured in supernatants and lysates of different cell types and in tumour tissue samples of murine, rat and human origin. Cell lines secrete VEGF-C in very low amounts (<1 ng/ml) whereas VEGF-C transfected cells can secrete up to 50 ng/ml VEGF-C into the supernatant. In human tumour tissue samples VEGF-C was detected in some carcinomas in the low protein range. This ELISA will be a useful tool for investigations concerning the physiological function of VEGF-C in lymphangiogenesis under normal and pathophysiological conditions.
