Promotion of Angiogenesis by an Artificial Extracellular Matrix Protein Containing the Laminin-1-Derived IKVAV Sequence

Abstract

The laminin-1-derived IKVAV sequence is known for its angiogenic function. We previously developed artificial extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins containing the IKVAV sequence. They were designed to have collagen-binding activity and active functional units that promote network formation of vascular endothelial cells. The resultant fusion protein, called EREI2CBD, was confirmed to bind to collagen type I and promote tubular network formation of endothelial cells cultured in collagen gel in vitro. In this study, EREI2CBD was applied to the chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay to investigate in vivo angiogenic activity. The CAM assay results showed that EREI2CBD caused the number and area of vascular branches to be increased. The constructed fusion protein and the engineering strategy of designing multifunctional ECM proteins support current tissue engineering techniques.