Effects of a variety of cytokines and inducing agents on vascular permeability factor mRNA levels in U937 cells.

Vascular permeability factor (VPF) is an approximately 40-kDa disulfide-linked dimeric glycoprotein that is active in increasing blood vessel permeability, endothelial cell growth and angiogenesis. Little is known about VPF gene regulation. In this study, we investigated the effects of a variety of cytokines and inducing agents on VPF mRNA levels in the monocyte-like U937 cell line. Transforming growth factor-beta 1 caused a 1.8-fold increase in VPF mRNA levels after 4 hours, followed by a decline to basal levels by 18 hours. Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, a potent inducer of the differentiation of U937 cells, caused a 12.5-fold increase in VPF mRNA levels at 24 hours, coinciding with the differentiation of these monocyte-like cells into macrophage-like cells.