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Frontiers of Medicine >> 2011, Volume 5, Issue 4 doi: 10.1007/s11684-011-0163-5

Endostatin specifically targets both tumor blood vessels and lymphatic vessels

1. National Engineering Laboratory for Anti-tumor Protein Therapeutics, Beijing 100084, China; 2. Beijing Key Laboratory for Protein Therapeutics, Beijing 100084, China; 3. Cancer Biology Laboratory, School of Life Sciences, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China

Available online: 2011-12-05

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Abstract

Endostatin, a 20 kDa C-terminal fragment of collagen XVIII, was first identified as a potent angiogenic inhibitor. The anti-angiogenic function of endostatin has been well documented during the past decade. Recently, several studies demonstrated that endostatin also inhibits tumor lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis. However, the exact mechanism that endostatin executes its anti-angiogenic and anti-lymphangiogenic functions remains elusive. In the current mini-review, we briefly summarize recent novel findings, including the functions of endostatin targeting not only angiogenesis but also lymphangiogenesis, and the underlying mechanism by which endostatin internalization regulates its biological functions.

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