Patent ID: 6960444
Filing Date: 2005-11-01
Classification: A61K,A61P,C07K

Abstract:
1. A method of screening compounds that are capable of increasing blood vessel development and/or endothelial cell differentiation comprising: (a) providing cells that do not normally contain a measurable amount of activity of a transcription factor having at least 70% identity to the amino acid sequence of the ETS domain of ELF-1 (amino acid residues 199 to 294 of SEQ ID NO: 2), wherein said cells express at least one vascular specific gene; (b) transfecting the cells with a vector comprising nucleic acid encoding a transcription factor having at least 70% identity to the amino acid sequence of the ETS domain of ELF-1 (amino acid residues 199 to 294 of SEQ ID NO: 2), wherein said transcription factor having the ability to transactivate at least one of said vascular specific genes; (c) providing to a portion of the cells a compound to be screened; (d) not providing to a control portion of the cells the compound to be screened; (e) measuring the expression of the vascular-specific genes transactivated by the transcription factor in the cells; and (f) comparing the amount of expression of the vascular-specific genes transactivated by the transcription factor in the cells containing the compound with the control portion of cells, wherein expression of the vascular-specific genes in (c) greater than expression of the vascular-specific genes in (d) indicates a compound that increases blood vessel development and/or endothelial cell differentiation.