VEGF - A Stimulus for Neuronal Development and Regeneration in the CNS and PNS.

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a homodimeric disulfide bound glycoprotein that promotes endothelial growth, accompanied by higher vascular permeability, and therefore represents an important factor for angiogenesis and vascularization. In addition, VEGF also has a neurotrophic and neuroprotective impact on glial and neuronal cells within the CNS and PNS. Recently, we have shown that VEGF increases somato- and dendritogenesis in neonatal, but not in mature CNS neurons [1], and leads to axonal growth cone guidance during embryonic development of the PNS [2, 3]. We assume that microRNAs are involved in the neuronal plasticity by altering expression patterns of corresponding VEGF receptors [4]. Therefore, this review focuses on microRNAs and their impact on the regulation of neuronal development at the posttranscriptional level within the CNS and PNS. Besides this, recent data about the regenerative impact of VEGF in the CNS and PNS are discussed, with a close look at the expression of VEGF and its corresponding miRNAs in these neuronal structures.