HUVEC were depleted of MKP-1 by siRNA (A) and serum starved 2hrs prior to treatment with 50 ng/ml VEGF. VEGF-induced migration (B, C), proliferation (D) and tube formation (E, F) were evaluated using the scratch wound, BrdU, and Matrigel assays, respectively. Representative migration images in (B) show initial wound (top) and migration over 11 hrs (bottom) in VEGF-treated samples. Representative tube formation images in (E) show tube formation over 6 hrs after VEGF treatment. MKP-1 depletion abrogated VEGF-induced migration and tube formation and reduced overall proliferation but did not block the pro-proliferative effect of VEGF. *p ≤ 0.05, **p ≤ 0.01, NS = not significant. Scale bars: 100 μm.