Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor 2 (KDR)

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2), also known as fetal liver kinase 1 (FLK-1) in mouse and KDR in human, is a transmembrane tyrosine kinase that plays an important role in the development of the vascular system and the vascularization of a wide variety of tumors. Binding of VEGF to VEGFR-2 leads to tyrosine phosphorylation of the dimerized receptor and subsequent phosphorylation of SH2-containing intracellular signaling proteins, including phospholipase C, Src family tyrosine kinase and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) adaptor molecules, SHC, NCK, and Ras GTPase-activating protein. VEGFR-2 is expressed in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), Hela cells, WM 35 melanoma cells, WM 9 melanoma cells, as well as mouse NIH3T3, and Balb/c 3T3 cells.