Novel anti-angiogenic peptides derived from ELR-containing CXC chemokines

Angiogenesis is tightly regulated by numerous endogenous pro- and anti-angiogenic proteins and peptides. Among these are the CXC chemokines, a set of multifunctional peptides. CXC chemokines containing the ELR motif act as pro-angiogenic agents by regulating both endothelial cell proliferation and migration. Here we show that a set of six 22-24-amino acid peptides derived from the pro-angiogenic ELR-containing CXC chemokines exhibit notable anti-proliferative and anti-migratory activity in vitro; we call these peptides chemokinostatins. The ability of the identified peptides to inhibit the basic components of angiogenesis even though they are derived from pro-angiogenic proteins contributes towards the understanding of the diverse role of the CXC chemokine family in angiogenesis.