Inhibition of angiogenesis by the BTB domain of promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger protein

Promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger is a negative regulator of cell cycle progression. In this study, we showed that PLZF inhibits endothelial cell angiogenesis using a human umbilical vein endothelial cell system. We also focused on characterizing the specific function of the BTB domain of PLZF as a novel apoptotic and anti-angiogenic protein via deletion mapping analysis. The BTB domain directly inhibited tube formation, as well as the biological functions of angiostatic activity in vivo, and reduced the expression of p-Akt and p-eNOS, which play a significant role in angiogenesis when stimulated by VEGF. These results strongly suggest that the BTB domain could potentially modulate the apoptotic and anti-angiogenic effects of PLZF.