Marini Mirca, Bertolai Roberto, Ambrosini Stefano, Sarchielli Erica, Vannelli Gabriella Barbara, Sgambati Eleonora
Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Section of Anatomy and Histology, University of Florence, Largo Brambilla 3, 50134 Florence, Italy.
Department of Surgery and Translational Medicine, University of Florence, Largo Palagi 1, 50139 Florence, Italy.
Acta Histochem. 2015 Apr;117(3):228-34. doi: 10.1016/j.acthis.2015.02.006. Epub 2015 Mar 11.
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a well-known mediator that signals through pathways in angiogenesis and osteogenesis. Angiogenesis and bone formation are coupled during either skeletal development or bone remodeling and repair occurring in postnatal life. In this study, we examined for the first time the expression of VEGF in human fetal mandibular and femoral bone in comparison with the respective adult tissues. Similarly to other craniofacial bones, but at variance with the axial and appendicular skeleton, during development mandible does not arise from mesoderm but neural crest cells of the neuroectoderm germ layer, and undergoes intramembranous instead of endochondral ossification. By quantitative real-time PCR technique, we could show that VEGF gene expression levels were significantly higher in fetal than in adult samples, especially in femoral tissue. Western blotting analysis confirmed higher protein expression of VEGF in the fetal femur respect to the mandible. Moreover, immunohistochemistry revealed that in both fetal tissues VEGF expression was mainly localized in pre- and osteoblasts. Differential expression of VEGF in femoral and mandibular bone tissues could be related to their different structure, function and development during organogenesis.
血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）是一种通过血管生成和成骨途径发出信号的著名介质。在骨骼发育或出生后生活中发生的骨重塑和修复过程中，血管生成和骨形成是相互关联的。在本研究中，我们首次检测了人胎儿下颌骨和股骨中VEGF的表达，并与相应的成人组织进行了比较。与其他颅面骨相似，但与中轴骨和附肢骨骼不同，在发育过程中，下颌骨并非起源于中胚层，而是神经外胚层胚层的神经嵴细胞，并经历膜内成骨而非软骨内成骨。通过定量实时PCR技术，我们发现胎儿样本中VEGF基因表达水平显著高于成人样本，尤其是在股骨组织中。蛋白质印迹分析证实，胎儿股骨中VEGF的蛋白质表达高于下颌骨。此外，免疫组织化学显示，在两种胎儿组织中，VEGF表达主要定位于前成骨细胞和成骨细胞。VEGF在股骨和下颌骨组织中的差异表达可能与其在器官发生过程中的不同结构、功能和发育有关。
