02194nas a2200169   4500008004100000020001300041245007300054210006900127260001600196300001200212490000800224520168300232100001201915700001601927700001501943856006601958       2018                        eng d  a0940960200aKey molecules in lymphatic development, function, and identification0 aKey molecules in lymphatic development function and identificati  c2018/09/01/  a25 - 340 v2193 aWhile both blood and lymphatic vessels transport fluids and thus share many similarities, they also show functional and structural differences, which can be used to differentiate them. Specific visualization of lymphatic vessels has historically been and still is a pivot point in lymphatic research. Many of the proteins that are investigated by molecular biologists in lymphatic research have been defined as marker molecules, i.e. to visualize and distinguish lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) from other cell types, most notably from blood vascular endothelial cells (BECs) and cells of the hematopoietic lineage.Among the factors that drive the developmental differentiation of lymphatic structures from venous endothelium, Prospero homeobox protein 1 (PROX1) is the master transcriptional regulator. PROX1 maintains lymphatic identity also in the adult organism and thus is a universal LEC marker. Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-3 (VEGFR-3) is the major tyrosine kinase receptor that drives LEC proliferation and migration. The major activator for VEGFR-3 is vascular endothelial growth factor-C (VEGF-C). However, before VEGF-C can signal, it needs to be proteolytically activated by an extracellular protein complex comprised of Collagen and calcium binding EGF domains 1 (CCBE1) protein and the protease A disintegrin and metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif 3 (ADAMTS3).This minireview attempts to give an overview of these and a few other central proteins that scientific inquiry has linked specifically to the lymphatic vasculature. It is limited in scope to a brief description of their main functions, properties and developmental roles.1 aJha, SK1 aRauniyar, K1 aJeltsch, M  uhttp://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S094096021830071200711nas a2200205   4500008004100000245014500041210006900186260001600255300000900271490000600280100001200286700002200298700002200320700002600342700002300368700002000391700001800411700002100429856005500450       2017                        eng d00aEfficient activation of the lymphangiogenic growth factor VEGF-C requires the C-terminal domain of VEGF-C and the N-terminal domain of CCBE10 aEfficient activation of the lymphangiogenic growth factor VEGFC   c2017/07/07/  a49160 v71 aJha, SK1 aRauniyar, Khushbu1 aKärpänen, Terhi1 aLeppänen, Veli-Matti1 aBrouillard, Pascal1 aVikkula, Miikka1 aAlitalo, Kari1 aJeltsch, Michael  uhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-04982-1