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Adaptive hypoxic tolerance in the subterranean mole rat Spalax ehrenbergi : the role of vascular endothelial growth factor
Author(s) -
Avivi A.,
Resnick M.B.,
Nevo E.,
Joel A.,
Levy A.P.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
febs letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.593
H-Index - 257
eISSN - 1873-3468
pISSN - 0014-5793
DOI - 10.1016/s0014-5793(99)00584-0
Subject(s) - biology , angiogenesis , adaptation (eye) , vascular endothelial growth factor , rodent , downregulation and upregulation , microbiology and biotechnology , zoology , vegf receptors , endocrinology , anatomy , ecology , neuroscience , biochemistry , genetics , gene , cancer research
Spalax ehrenbergi has evolved adaptations that allow it to survive and carry out normal activities in a highly hypoxic environment. A key component of this adaptation is a higher capillary density in some Spalax tissues resulting in a shorter diffusion distance for oxygen. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an angiogenic factor that is critical for angiogenesis during development and in response to tissue ischemia. We demonstrate here that VEGF expression is markedly increased in those Spalax tissues with a higher capillary density relative to the normal laboratory rat Rattus norvegicus . Upregulation of VEGF thus appears to be an additional mechanism by which Spalax has adapted to its hypoxic environment.