Assignment1 of ANGPT4, ANGPT1, and ANGPT2 encoding angiopoietins 4, 1 and 2 to human chromosome bands 20p13, 8q22.3→q23 and 8p23.1, respectively, by in situ hybridization and radiation hybrid mapping.

The recently discovered Angiopoietin family is comprised of four growth factors thought to be very important for vascular development. All four angiopoetins bind to the endothelial cell-specific receptor Tie-2 with similar affinity. The mechanism by which these proteins contribute to angiogenesis is thought to involve regulation of endothelial cell interactions with supporting perivascular cells. Angiopoietin 3 and angiopoietin 4 appear to represent rapidly diverging orthologs in mouse and man, with disparate expression profiles and differing abilities to activate the Tie-2 receptor.