Selective Binding of Endostatin Peptide 4 to Recombinant VEGF Receptor 3 In Vitro.

We previously reported that neostatin, a proteolytic fragment of collagen XVIII that includes endostatin, inhibits basic fibroblast growth factor-induced corneal angiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis. In experiments to determine which fragments in neostatin are responsible for binding to VEGF receptors (VEGFRs), we previously showed that a 28- mer sequence at the C-terminal of endostatin, known as endostatin peptide 9, preferentially binds VEGFR3-Fc over VEGFR1-Fc and VEGFR2-Fc. In the present study, we show that a different endostatin fragment, endostatin peptide 4 (26 mers long), also selectively binds VEGFR3-Fc and not VEGFR1-Fc or VEGFR2-Fc.