This gene encodes a member of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) family. VEGFR family members are receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) which contain an extracellular ligand-binding region with seven immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domains, a transmembrane segment, and a tyrosine kinase (TK) domain within the cytoplasmic domain. This protein binds to VEGFR-A, VEGFR-B and placental growth factor and plays an important role in angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. Expression of this receptor is found in vascular endothelial cells, placental trophoblast cells and peripheral blood monocytes. Multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms have been found for this gene. Isoforms include a full-length transmembrane receptor isoform and shortened, soluble isoforms. The soluble isoforms are associated with the onset of pre-eclampsia.[provided by RefSeq, May 2009]
Forensic Context
A study in rats demonstrated that the FLT1 mRNA was elevated at all times after higher blast exposure groups (10-11 psi and 14-15 psi) and its protein was used as a marker for manual annotation of endothelial cell clusters in an Alzheimer's disease dataset [Balaban et al. DOI:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2016.02.001][Xue et al. DOI:10.3233/JAD-230559]. A study in mice demonstrated that the FLT1 mRNA was reduced in injured juvenile endothelial cells compared to adults following controlled cortical impact traumatic brain injury, correlating with enhanced blood-brain barrier stability and cerebral blood flow restoration in juveniles [Brickler et al. DOI:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0914-18.2018]. In a rat model of focal cerebral contusion, the FLT1 mRNA and protein were detected in vessels adjacent to the lesion from one day after injury, with protein expression observed through day four, and these vessels were often negative for the blood-brain barrier marker SMI-71 [Sköld et al. DOI:10.089/neu.2005.22.353].