VEGF in Development [electronic resource] / by Christiana Ruhrberg.

The Biology of Vascular Endothelial Cell Growth Factor Isoforms -- VEGF Receptor Signalling in Vertebrate Development -- VEGF Gene Regulation -- Embryonic Vasculogenesis and Hematopoietic Specification -- Role of VEGF in Organogenesis -- VEGF and Endothelial Guidance in Angiogenic Sprouting -- Vascular and Nonvascular Roles of VEGF in Bone Development -- VEGF in the Nervous System.

This book is devoted to vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF or VEGFA), a secreted signalling protein of great significance for development and disease in vertebrates. VEGFA controls the proliferation, migration, specialisation and survival of vascular endothelial cells, and it is therefore essential for the establishment of a functional blood vessel circuit. In addition, VEGFA is emerging as a versatile patterning factor for several non-endothelial cell types in vertebrates. Thus, it plays a central role during organ development at multiple levels, including blood vessel growth, vessel-mediated organ induction and tissue differentiation.