Figure 1.

Comparison of human VEGF-D with other members of the VEGF family. Alignment of the deduced amino acid sequences of human VEGF-D, mouse VEGF-D (18), human VEGF-C (15), human VEGF₁₆₅ (21), human VEGF-B₁₆₇ (11), and human PlGF-2 (22) is shown. Residues that match the sequence of human VEGF-D are boxed. The asterisks above the hVEGF-D sequence denote the eight cysteine residues that are conserved in all VEGF family members. Arrows denote positions of proteolytic cleavage that give rise to mature VEGF-C (16). The line above the hVEGF-D sequence denotes a putative signal sequence for protein secretion (23). Potential N-linked glycosylation sites in human VEGF-D are marked by brackets above the sequence. Solid circles above the hVEGF-D sequence denote cysteine residues involved in motifs that resemble those of Balbiani ring 3 protein (CX₁₀CXCXC) (24).