VARIANT OF VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL CELL GROWTH FACTOR HAVING ANTAGONISTIC PROPERTIES

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a new endothelial cell growth inhibitor and an angiogenesis inhibitor. SOLUTION: A vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) antagonist molecule containing variant VEGF polypeptide is used as the endothelial cell growth inhibitor or angiogenesis inhibitor. The variant VEGF polypeptides comprise amino acid modifications of at least one cysteine residue (except serine residue) present at positions 51 and/or 61 of the native VEGF amino acid sequence, thereby inhibiting the ability of the variant polypeptide to dimerize properly with another VEGF polypeptide. Therefore, the antagonist molecule can bind to a VEGF receptor without inducing the response of VEGF significantly. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI