SPECIFICITY OF VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL-CELL GROWTH-FACTOR RECEPTOR-LIGAND BINDING DOMAINS

Vascular endothelial cell growth factor binds with high affinity to FL T and KDR, two homologous tyrosine kinase receptors expressed on vascu lar endothelial cells. Placental growth factor, a vascular endothelial cell growth factor homologue, also binds with high affinity to the ex tracellular domains of FLT but not to the extracellular region of KDR. Vascular endothelial cell growth factor binds competitively with plac ental growth factor to the extracellular ligand binding domains of FLT , indicating that both ligands probably complex to overlapping or iden tical regions of this receptor. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.