Vasorin, a transforming growth factor beta-binding protein expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells, modulates the arterial response to injury in vivo.

ABSTRACT: Growth factors, cell-surface receptors, adhesion molecules, and extracellular matrix proteins play critical roles in vascular pathophysiology by affecting growth, migration, differentiation, and survival of vascular cells. In a search for secreted and cell-surface molecules expressed in the cardiovascular system, by using a retrovirus-mediated signal sequence trap method, we isolated a cell-surface protein named vasorin. Vasorin is a typical type I membrane protein, containing tandem arrays of a characteristic leucine-rich repeat motif, an epidermal growth factor-like motif, and a fibronectin type III-like motif at the extracellular domain. Expression analyses demonstrated that vasorin is predominantly expressed in vascular smooth muscle cells, and that its expression is developmentally re

SUBMITTER: Ikeda Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC490003 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature