生物谷报道：意大利米兰圣菲尔德科研中心在《血液》杂志报道，包含NGR模体的肽链能选择性识别肿瘤新生血管，可用于药物靶向治疗。
Corti教授说，这些肽链与新生血管结合的特点是同内皮相关氨肽酶N(CD13)相互作用的结果。近期研究显示，天冬酰胺脱酰胺作用可快速使NGR转变成isoDGR（异天冬酰胺-甘氨酸-精氨酸），产生的αβ3配体影响内皮细胞功能和肿瘤生长。
研究者关注NGR模体的结构和功能，以及与其相关的血管生长性疾病的药物研发。并进一步探索，天然蛋白调控 NGR向isoDGR转变时间依从性，如纤维连接蛋白具有潜在“分子钟”作用。（生物谷www.bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
Blood , prepublished online June 23, 2008; DOI 10.1182/blood-2008-04-150862.Angelo Corti
The neovasculature homing motif NGR: more than meets the eye
Angelo Corti*, Flavio Curnis, Wadih Arap, and Renata Pasqualini
DIBIT-Department of Oncology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Cancer Biology, The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, United States
* Corresponding author; email: corti.angelo@hsr.it .
A growing body of evidence suggests that peptides containing the NGR motif can selectively recognize tumor neovasculature and can be used, therefore, for ligand-directed targeted delivery of various drugs and particles to tumors or to other tissues with an angiogenesis component. The neovasculature binding properties of these peptides rely on the interaction with an endothelium-associated form of aminopeptidase N (CD13), an enzyme that has been implicated in angiogenesis and tumor growth. Recent studies have shown that NGR can rapidly convert to isoaspartate-glycine-arginine (isoDGR) by asparagine deamidation, generating v3 ligands capable of affecting endothelial cell functions and tumor growth. This review focuses on structural and functional properties of the NGR motif and its application in drug development for angiogenesis-dependent diseases. Furthermore, we discuss the time-dependent transition of NGR to isoDGR in natural proteins, such as fibronectins, and its potential role of as a "molecular timer" for generating new binding sites for integrins implicated in angiogenesis.
