Protein kinase C   promotes angiogenic activity of human endothelial cells via induction of vascular endothelial growth factor

Aims Protein kinase C (PKC) plays an important role in the regulation of angiogenesis. However, downstream targets of PKC in endothelial cells are poorly defined. Methods and results mRNA expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) was analysed by quantitative real-time RT-PCR in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and HUVEC-derived EA.hy 926 cells. siRNA was used to knockdown PKC isoforms and VEGF. Matrigel tube formation assay was used to analyse the angiogenic activity of endothelial cells. Phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) enhanced the ability of HUVEC to organize into tubular networks when plated on Matrigel, a phenomenon that could be prevented by PKC inhibi…