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-Structure paper
| Title | Mechanisms of VEGFR2 activation by VEGF, neuropilin, and heparin. |
|---|---|
| Journal, issue, pages | Sci Adv, Vol. 12, Issue 29, Page eaeg6323, Year 2026 |
| Publish date | Jul 17, 2026 |
Authors | Lianqi Chen / Zhichen Sun / Jian Qiao / Xiao-Chen Bai / Xuewu Zhang / ![]() |
| PubMed Abstract | Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor VEGFR are master regulators of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. VEGF activates VEGFR by inducing its dimerization and trans- ...Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor VEGFR are master regulators of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis. VEGF activates VEGFR by inducing its dimerization and trans-autophosphorylation. The coreceptor neuropilin (Nrp1 and Nrp2) and heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) modulate VEGF-VEGFR signaling, but the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Here we report a cryo-EM structure of the dimeric mouse VEGF-VEGFR2-Nrp1 ectodomain complex with a 2:2:2 stoichiometry, revealing direct Nrp1-VEGFR2 interactions that stabilize the VEGFR2 dimer. We also determined two cryo-EM structures of the VEGF-VEGFR2-Nrp1 complex in the presence of short- or long-chain heparin, which bridges all three proteins and promotes the formation of two distinct tetrameric complexes. Long-chain heparin induces a cis tetrameric complex consistent with receptor clustering on the same cell surface, whereas short-chain heparin promotes a trans tetrameric assembly which might be formed by two dimeric complexes from opposing cells. Our structure-based mutational analyses support the model that both the Nrp1-VEGFR2 interface and the heparin-mediated clustering enhance VEGFR2 signaling. |
External links | Sci Adv / PubMed:42455955 / PubMed Central |
| Methods | EM (single particle) |
| Resolution | 3.34 - 3.65 Å |
| Structure data | EMDB-75407, PDB-10ri: EMDB-75408, PDB-10rj: EMDB-75409, PDB-10rk: |
| Chemicals | ![]() ChemComp-NAG: ![]() ChemComp-CA: |
| Source |
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Keywords | SIGNALING PROTEIN / VEGF / VEGFR / neuropilin / heparin |
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