The experiments were conducted to study the biological effects of VEGF-B and VEGF-C in vivo. Main objective was the comparison between the biological effects of VEGF-B and VEGF-C, especially their specificities towards their target cells. Two independent experimental approaches were undertaken:
Transgenic animals over-expressing VEGF-B and VEGF-C
Direct application of recombinant VEGF-B and VEGF-C
None of the two mentioned projects could be completed, but all are in advanced stage. The phenotype of the transgenic animals resulted in the confirmation of the hypothesis, that VEGF-C is indeed an angiogenic factor specific for lymphatic endothelium. Since experiments with recombinant VEGF-B and VEGF-C are still going on, only the establishment of the expression system and the purification of the protein is described.