Three dimensional reconstruction of
blood vessels stained for the endothelial cell protein PECAM-1 (pseudocoloured
magenta) and collagen IV (pseudocoloured cyan) showing a choroidal neovascular
lesion and surrounding retinal vessels.
The discovery of a protein that encourages blood vessel growth, and especially 'bad' blood vessels - the kind that characterise diseases as diverse as cancer, age-related macular degeneration and rheumatoid arthritis - has been reported in the journal Nature . The team at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology discovered the new protein, called LRG1, by screening for mouse genes that are over-expressed in abnormal retinal blood vessels in diseased eyes. In these diseased retinas the LRG1 protein is expressed by blood vessel endothelial cells, which line blood vessel walls. LRG1 is also present in the eyes of patients with proliferative diabetic retinopathy - a vascular complication of diabetes that can lead to blindness. The study shows that, in mouse models, LRG1 promotes the growth of blood vessels in a process known as 'angiogenesis'. Conversely, inhibition of LRG1 in mouse models reduces the harmful blood vessel growth associated with retinal disease. The authors of the study suggest that blocking LRG1's activity is a promising target for future therapy.
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