INCREASED VASCULARIZATION IN MICE OVEREXPRESSING ANGIOPOIETIN-1

The angiopoietins and members of the vascular endothelial growth facto r (VEGF) family are the only growth factors thought to be largely spec ific for vascular endothelial cells. Targeted gene inactivation studie s in mice have shown that VEGF is necessary for the early stages of va scular development and that angiopoietin-1 is required for the later s tages of vascular remodeling. Here it is shown that transgenic overexp ression of angiopoietin-1 in the skin of mice produces larger, more nu merous, and more highly branched vessels. These results raise the poss ibility that angiopoietins can be used, alone or in combination with V EGF, to promote therapeutic angiogenesis.