The isolation of vascular endothelial cell lines with altered cell surface and platelet-binding properties

Controlling mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into contractile smooth muscle cells on a TiO2 micro/nano interface: Towards benign pericytes environment for endothelialization

Building healthy and oriented smooth muscle cells (SMCs) environment is an effective method for improving the surface endothelialization of the cardiovascular implants. However, a long-term and stable source of SMCs for implantation without immune rejection and inflammation has not been solved, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) differentiation may be a good choice. In this work, two types of TiO2 micro/nano interfaces were fabricated on titanium surface by photolithography and anodic oxidation. These TiO2 micro/nano interfaces were used to regulate the differentiation of the MSCs. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) detection showed that the TiO2 micro/nano interfaces possessed the anatase crystal structure, suggesting good cytocompatibility. The CCK-8 results indicated the TiO2 micro/nano interfaces improved MSC proliferation, further immunofluorescence staining and calculation of the cell morphology index proved the micro/nano surfaces also elongated MSCs and regulated MSCs oriented growth. The specific staining of α-SMA, CNN-1, vWF, CD44 and CD133 markers revealed that the micro/nano surfaces induced MSCs differentiation to contractile SMCs, and the endothelial cells (ECs) culture experiment indicated that the MSCs induced by micro/nano interfaces contributed to the ECs attachment and proliferation. This method will be further studied and applied for the surface modification of the cardiovascular implants.

Targeting phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C for atherogenesis therapy

Atherosclerosis, a dynamic and progressive vascular disease arising from the combination of endothelial dysfunction and inflammation, is becoming a major killer in the 21st century. Accumulating evidence implicates phosphatidylcholine-specific phospholipase C (PC-PLC) in endothelial dysfunction and several inflammation processes. In addition, in a recent study, we demonstrated that PC-PLC contributed to the progression of atherosclerosis. Considering the important roles of PC-PLC in vascular endothelial cell dysfunction and its proinflammatory properties, we propose that a pharmacological blockade of PC-PLC represents a rational approach to atherosclerosis therapy.

Heart microvessels and aortic endothelial cells express the 15 kDa heart-type fatty acid-binding proteins

Due to their hydrophobic nature, free fatty acids require carriers for transport across and within the cells. The endothelial layer is the first barrier to be traversed by the fatty acids, from the plasma to the underlying cells and tissues. We tried to find out whether cytosolic fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) are present in the endothelium of large vessels (aortic endothelial cells) and small vessels (myocardial capillaries) using the following experimental approaches: (i) loading the delipidated aortic endothelial cell (EC) homogenate and the heart cytosolic proteins and membrane proteins with [14C]palmitate or [14C]oleate, respectively, followed by autoradiographic detection of electrophoretically separated bands; (ii) detection by immunoprecipitation of heart-type FABP (H-FABP) using an affinity-purified antibody raised against bovine H-FABP (anti-H-FABP), and (iii) localization of FABP by indirect immunofluorescence and gold-immunocytochemistry applied to cultured EC and to thick and thin frozen sections of mouse heart. The results showed that: (i) within the EC homogenate proteins that express affinity for [14C]palmitate have an apparent Mr of 15000, and 40000-45000, that correspond as molecular mass to cytosolic and membrane FABPs, respectively. Similar affinity was found by incubation with [14C]oleate, that binds to a protein of Mr 15000 in the heart cytosol, and to a 40-45 kDa protein in the membrane fraction; (ii) anti-H-FABP immunoprecipitated specifically a cytosolic 15 kDa peptide (H-FABP); (iii) by indirect immunofluorescence, cytosolic H-FABP was localized on heart microvessels and myocytes and also in cultured aortic EC where intense spotted fluorescence characteristic for cytosolic antigens was present; (iv) by immunocytochemistry, H-FABP was detected in the EC cytoplasm, and in close proximity to the cytoplasmic aspect of plasmalemma and vesicle membranes. Together the data attest the presence of the 15 kDa, heart-type FABP in the endothelium of aorta and heart microvessels.

Transcytosis of albumin in endothelial cells is brefeldin A--independent

To determine whether in endothelial cells (EC) the pathways of endocytosis and transcytosis of macromolecules interconnect, the effect of Brefeldin A (BFA) on these processes was tested. To this purpose EC were grown to confluence on plastic culture dishes or on cell culture chamber inserts placed into corresponding wells, so as to obtain a dual chamber system. The cells maintained the typical characteristics of EC and had an electrical resistance in the range of 30-60 Ohm.cm2. Transendothelial transport of albumin conjugated to the fluorochrom Texas Red (Alb-TR) and of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) added to the upper compartment, in the absence or presence of BFA (0-25 micrograms/ml), was evaluated in aliquots collected from the lower compartment. At different time intervals, quantitative data were obtained by fluorimetry and spectrophotometry. In other experiments transcytosis of Alb-TR was examined in the presence of 100 microM forskolin (an inhibitor of BFA effect). The endocytosis of Alb-TR and HRP was evaluated by incubating EC with the probes, and the internalized tracers determined in the cell lysate using the methods described above. The results showed that BFA has no significant effect on transcytosis of albumin and HRP. In contradistinction, BFA (5 micrograms/ml) reduced markedly endocytosis of HRP (by 47%). Forskolin has no effect on transcytosis. The data indicate that the BFA-induced perturbance in the endocytic route does not affect the transcytotic pathway of albumin, and suggest that in EC, transcytosis of macromolecules may represent a shortcut for rapid and direct transport of some plasma molecules across the cell.

Use of biocarrier beads and flow cytometry for single-cell studies of fibronectin gene regulation in dibutyryl cyclic AMP reverse transformed CHO-K1 cells

The protease sensitivity of a number of cell surface or cytoskeletal components and the relationship of these to the substratum in attached cells has prevented the quantitative measurement of their expression by flow cytometry. Using traditional cell sorting techniques, cells must be treated with a protease to detach them from a substrate in order to produce a single-cell suspension. Unfortunately, proteolytic treatment alters or destroys a number of cellular proteins. Fibronectin either on the cell surface or as part of the substratum laid down by the cell is particularly sensitive to proteases, preventing its quantitative study by flow cytometry. To circumvent these problems and produce a single cell suspension necessary for flow cytometric analysis, CHO-K1, a Chinese hamster ovary cell line, were grown in suspension on specially-treated 25 microns biocarrier beads. The CHO-K1 cell line is composed of transformed epithelial-like cells that have lost the fibronectin deposit around their cell membranes. To restore the typical fibroblastic deposit of fibronectin, the cells attached to beads were induced by dibutyryl cAMP to undergo a reverse transformation reaction to restore fibroblastic morphology and the typical fibroblastic deposite of fibronectin on the cell surface and substratum. The cells attached to beads were then immunofluorescently labeled for the protease-sensitive, extracellular matrix component, fibronectin, and examined on a flow cytometer. Cell surface fibronectin heterogeneity was then examined on a cell-by-cell basis as a function of cell cycle using Hoechst 33342 dye that binds to AT base pairs of cellular DNA. Dual laser measurement and multiparameter list mode data analysis were used to study the relationship between cell surface fibronectin of biocarrier bead attached cells and cell cycle.

Identification of thromboxane A2 receptor in cultured vascular endothelial cells of rat aorta

The binding site for [3H]SQ29,548, a potent and selective thromboxane A2 (TXA2) receptor antagonist, was studied in cultured vascular endothelial cells (VEC) of the rat aorta. Specific binding of [3H]SQ29,548 to rat VEC at 24 degrees C was saturable, displaceable and of high affinity. Scatchard analysis of equilibrium binding studies indicated that rat VEC contain a single class of binding sites with a Kd of 2.7 nM. The number of maximum binding sites (25.8 fmol/10(6) cells) for [3H]SQ29,548 on rat VEC was respectively 23 and 3.2 times more than that on rat platelets and rat vascular smooth muscle cells. Four TXA2 receptor antagonists and U46619 completely suppressed [3H]SQ29,548 binding to rat VEC, whereas other prostanoids, such as PGD2, PGF2 alpha, PGE1 and Iloprost, displaced the ligand binding only at considerably higher concentrations. These results suggest that the specific receptor for TXA2 is present in rat vascular endothelial cells.

Primary cultures of rat aortic endothelial and smooth muscle cells: I. An in vitro model to study xenobiotic-induced vascular cytotoxicity

Primary cultures of rat vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells were developed as models to study xenobiotic-induced cytotoxicity. Endothelial and smooth muscle cells were isolated by enzymatic digestion and mechanical dissociation of rat thoracic aortae. Optimal cell growth and minimal fibroblast contamination in cultures of both cell types were obtained in Medium 199 supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. Cultured cells were characterized by distinctive morphologic features and growth patterns. Intercellular endothelial cell junctions were selectively stained with silver nitrate. Endothelial cells also exhibited a nonthrombogenic surface, as reflected by platelet-binding studies. Confluent cultures of smooth muscle cells, but not endothelial cells, contracted in response to norepinephrine (10 microM). Cultures of both cell types were exposed to acrolein (2, 5 or 50 ppm), an environmental pollutant, for 4 and 24 h. Morphologic damage, lactate dehydrogenase release, and cellular thiol content were used as indices of cytotoxicity. Acrolein-induced enzyme leakage and morphologic alterations were dose- and time-dependent and more pronounced in cultures of smooth muscle cells than in endothelial cells. The total thiol content of endothelial cells exposed to acrolein (50 ppm) for 24 h was not significantly different from that of respective controls. In contrast, the content of treated smooth muscle cells was higher than that of controls. These observations show that primary cultures of vascular cells provide a useful model to evaluate xenobiotic-induced cytotoxicity. The information obtained using a cell culture system may be complemented by the use of other in vivo and in vitro models to determine the mechanisms by which xenobiotics cause vascular cell injury.

Human monocyte-endothelial cell interaction in vitro

We have examined the interaction of freshly isolated human blood monocytes with cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells in vitro. Purified monocytes incubated with confluent primary or passaged endothelial cells (EC) for 90 min at 37 degrees C bound at maximal densities of 6.5-7.0 X 10(3)/mm2 (8 or 9 per EC) without causing disruption of the monolayer. Monocyte-EC binding proceeded in the presence of plasma proteins or optimal phagocytic doses of opsonized zymosan particles. The avidity of attachment was not diminished by alternative monocyte isolation techniques. Monocyte attachment to EC was dependent upon the presence of divalent cations (magnesium greater than calcium) and was inhibited at 4 degrees C. Monocytes selectively bound to EC when incubated with monolayers composed of smooth muscle cells and EC. Neither EC monolayer confluence nor a variety of EC culture conditions affected the high levels of monocyte binding. In contrast, human neutrophils (less than 1 per EC) and lymphocytes (less than 2-3.5 per EC) bound at lower maximal densities under the same conditions, while platelet reactivity remained minimal. The distinctively higher affinity of human blood monocytes relative to other circulating white cells for binding to cultured human EC may have relevance to their function in vivo.

The role of membrane-membrane interactions in the regulation of endothelial cell growth

A cell surface preparation from confluent endothelial cells can inhibit DNA synthesis of actively growing endothelial cells. The decrease in the rate of [3H]thymidine incorporation is concentration dependent and levels off at 47% of the control. The preparation has no affect on the growth of vascular smooth muscle cells. A similar preparation from smooth muscle cells does not show inhibitory activity with either endothelial or smooth muscle cells. The inhibition of growth can also be demonstrated by a decrease in thymidine index and growth rate. The inhibition is transient and after 48 h, the growth rate is similar to that of the control. In a wound edge assay, both migration and proliferation are inhibited. The inhibitory activity is partially labile to trypsin and abolished by pepsin, heating at 100 degrees C, or reduction. Cell surface iodination and analysis of the proteins removed by urea treatment by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis show at least 11 bands with apparent molecular weights from 250,000 to 18,000. These radiolabeled proteins, as well as the active component of the cell surface preparation, are sedimentable at 100,000 g for 1 h. They are both solubilized in 30 mM octyl glucoside but not by treatment with 0.1 M sodium carbonate, pH 11.5. These results suggest that the activity is due to a cell-surface membrane fraction and may provide a basis for studying the mechanism of density-dependent inhibition of growth in a normal cell of defined origin.

Adhesion of platelets to laminin in the absence of activation

The binding of platelets to components in the subendothelial matrix is an initial event in hemostasis and thrombosis. The glycoprotein components of the matrix are considered important in this interaction. Of these, collagen binds and activates platelets and induces their aggregation. In this study we demonstrate that substrate-bound laminin causes time- and concentration-dependent adherence of human platelets to the substrate. The binding of platelets to laminin was found to be similar in some respects, but different in others, to their binding to surfaces coated with fibronectin or collagen. The binding of platelets to laminin or fibronectin was not associated with their activation under conditions in which type I collagen activates the platelets as measured by [14C]serotonin secretion. Platelets bound to laminin and fibronectin differed in their appearance; they remained rounded on laminin whereas they flattened completely on fibronectin. Binding of platelets to fibronectin, but not laminin, is inhibited by a recently described peptide (Pierschbacher, M., and E. Ruoslahti, 1984, Nature (Lond.), 309:30-33) containing the cell-attachment tetrapeptide sequence of fibronectin, which suggests that separate receptors exist for laminin and fibronectin. These studies establish laminin as a platelet-binding protein and suggest that laminin can contribute to the adhesiveness of exposed tissue matrices to platelets. Since laminin and fibronectin do not activate platelets, whereas collagen does, and laminin differs from fibronectin in that it does not induce spreading of the attached platelets, all three proteins appear to confer different signals to the platelets. Some of these may be related to platelet functions other than those necessary for the formation of a hemostatic plug.

Platelet-endothelial cell interactions in vitro following freeze-thaw injury or detergent treatment

Platelet interactions with cultured bovine endothelial cells were studied following freeze-thaw damage or detergent treatment. Platelets from whole blood, platelet-rich plasma, or gel-filtered plasma did not interact directly with freeze-thaw-damaged endothelial cells. Freezing and thawing did result in the exposure of an extracellular matrix located beneath the cells, which proved very thrombogenic. Platelets from all sources attached to both microfilament and amorphous components of the extracellular matrix, although only platelets from whole blood demonstrated aggregation and extensive pseudopodia formation. Treatment of cells with Triton-X detergent resulted in exposure of an intracellular cytoskeleton. Most platelets attached to the cytoskeleton were located near the cell border and had one or more pseudopodia either in contact with extracellular or intracellular material. Adhesion of platelets to the extracellular matrix may represent platelet-collagen or platelet-fibronectin interactions since both are produced by an incorporated into the extracellular matrix. Platelet interaction with endothelial cytoskeletons may represent contact of pseudopodia with the now exposed matrix located beneath the cells. The possibility that platelets also adhered to intracellular components could not be eliminated. These findings are in agreement with data from a freeze-thaw injury model of perfused aorta. In addition, they tend to indicate that physical insult is not sufficient to induce platelet interaction with the endothelial surface, but that chemical modification enhances platelet deposition.

Characterization and partial purification of an endothelial cell growth factor from human platelets

Platelets have been shown to affect the growth of vascular endothelial cells. This report describes the characterization and partial purification from human platelets of a novel growth factor which can stimulate human endothelial cells to synthesize DNA and grow. Platelets were lysed by sonication and the particulate fraction removed by ultracentrifugation at 100,000 g. The supernatant of the platelet lysate stimulated the incorporation of [3H]thymidine into DNA of endothelial cells by 20-fold and caused a threefold increase of cell number in 2 d in culture. Gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 and dialysis with exclusion membranes resulted in a 50-fold purification of this growth-promoting substance. Two peaks of endothelial-growth factor (ENDO-GF) were observed with apparent molecular weights of 65,000 and 135,000. Further characterization showed that ENDO-GF differed from platelet-derived growth factor since it was very heat labile and more potent in stimulating growth in endothelial cells than in fibroblasts. The isolation of an ENDO-GF from platelets suggests that platelets may have a role in the growth and healing processes of human endothelium.

Interactions of platelets and leukocytes with vascular endothelium: in vitro studies

Our studies suggest that the interactions of blood cells with cultured endothelial monolayers mimic in vivo phenomena, thus providing potentially useful in vitro experimental models. For example, normal endothelial cells in culture show little tendency to react with platelets, similar to their behavior in vivo. Production of anti-aggregatory prostaglandins, such as prostacyclin, by cultured endothelial cells does not appear to be necessary for their non-thrombogenicity. Significant changes in platelet reactivity can be observed when endothelial cells are altered by certain stimuli. Analogous alterations in vivo might constitute a form of endothelial dysfunction relevant to thrombosis and atherosclerosis. In contrast to platelets, PMN leukocytes appear to show a preferential adherence to cultured endothelial monolayers. As our data indicate, this basal adhesion, which is observed in the absence of exogenous chemotactic agents or other stimuli, is neither dependent upon endogenous cyclooxygenase derivatives of arachidonate, nor inhibited by exogenous prostacyclin. However, certain anti-inflammatory drugs and other agents, that can interfere with the metabolism of arachidonate via lipoxygenase pathways, do significantly reduce basal PMN leukocyte-endothelial interactions. Further definition of the cellular and biochemical sites of action of these compounds may provide new insights into the mechanisms of the inflammatory response. Finally, given the vast repertoire of biologically active substances that platelets and leukocytes can secrete or generate, the regulation of blood cell interaction with endothelium may represent a key locus for pharmacological intervention in the treatment and prevention of vascular diseases.

Cultured endothelial cells derived from the human iliac arteries

Cells derived from the endothelium of human iliac arteries were cultured in vivo. The cells were isolated, grown, and subcultured in HEPES buffered Medium 199 supplemented with 20% heat inactivated human whole blood serum, human alpha-thrombin, and commercial endothelial cell growth supplement derived from bovine brain. The cells were viable in culture for 8 to 10 passages at a split ratio of 1:3. After the 10th passage, the cells began to enlarge and their growth rate was reduced. No cultures were viable after the 12th passage. The cells were determined to be of endothelial origin by their morphology at confluence; their ultrastructural characteristics, including the presence of Weibel-Palade bodies; the production and release of factor VIII-related antigen; and by their maintenance of a surface that prevented platelet attachment. The cultured arterial endothelial cells released prostacyclin in response to challenge with thrombin and protamine sulfate but not in response to bradykinin or the platelet-derived growth factor. Although the cultures described in this report were derived from patients with varying degrees of atherosclerotic disease, there were no significant differences in morphological or physiological parameters among these cultures or in comparison with commonly studied cells derived from human umbilical veins.

Endothelial cells from umbilical vein and a hemangioendothelioma secrete basement membrane largely to the exclusion of interstitial procollagens

The biosynthesis of extracellular matrix proteins by primary cultures of endothelial cells from human umbilical vein, and by clones from a murine hemangioendothelioma, was studied and compared to that reported for endothelium cultured from other sources. Umbilical vein endothelial cells secreted two glycoproteins-fibronectin and thrombospondin-which comprise the major proportion of the protein in the culture media of bovine aortic, venous, and corneal endothelial cells. These biosynthetic products were absent from hemangioendothelioma cultures. However, in contrast to bovine endothelium from large vessels and cornea, which secrete primarily Type III procollagen into the culture medium, both the umbilical vein and hemangioendothelioma cultures secrete Type IV (basement membrane) procollagen. In addition, EC, a novel endothelial collagen type that has been characterized in bovine endothelial cell supernates, was not present in the umbilical vein or tumor-derived endothelium. The production of basement membrane procollagen as the major collagen type in the medium of these cultures probably reflects the nature of the vascular bed from which the endothelial cells originated, rather than differences in species of in cellular isolation and subculture. We suggest that endothelial cells from different vascular environments could display variations in growth, migration, morphology, and response to exogenous blood-borne factors as a result of their relationship to an extracellular matrix/subendothelium composed of diverse structural glycoproteins.

Vascular wall growth control: the role of the endothelium

The current state of our knowledge of the control of endothelial growth and the role of endothelial injury in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis can be summarized as follows: 1. Endothelial cells can be grown in plasma-derived serum in the absence of exogenous growth factors. This is quite different from the growth requirements of most other nontransformed cells. These factors may, however, prolong replicative life span and increase the ability of endothelium to grow at sparse density. The relevance of these phenomena to the control of endothelial growth in vivo is unclear. There is no evidence that exogenous growth factors are required for wound edge regeneration. In view of the relative lack of growth factor requirements, it is intriguing to consider the possibility that the critical control factor for endothelial cell growth is cell contact. 2. Endothelial cell regeneration may be dependent on endothelial cell motility. The nature of this relationship may be important in controlling the ability of the endothelium to regenerate itself under different flow conditions around lesions or in different parts of the vessel tree and in determining the ability of the endothelium to respond to changes in the connective tissue overlying lesions. 3. Endothelial cells in vivo are able to regenerate small areas of denudation extremely rapidly. This process may be sufficiently rapid to permit the endothelium to replace dying cells as they are being lost, resulting in desquamation without denudation. 4. We have little evidence for endothelial denudation either spontaneously or in response to atherosclerosis risk factors until after lesion formation has begun. This does not rule out the possibility that small, repeated, transient episodes of denudation occur and play a role in the initiation of atherosclerotic lesions. It is important, however, to begin considering the role of nondenuding injuries in atherosclerosis. 5. The fact that thrombosis occurs in atherosclerosis implies an eventual breakdown of endothelial integrity. The mechanism of that breakdown remains unknown. 6. Finally, there is the question of interactions between smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells at the level of growth control. This includes the evidence that there is a critical amount of endothelium that must be lost before lesion formation is stimulated and the recent evidence that endothelial cells produce substances able to regulate growth of smooth muscle cells.

Variant endothelial cells. Fibronectin as a transducer of signals for migration and neovascularisation

A morphologic and growth control variant of bovine aortal endothelial cells has been isolated and shown to synthesise factor VIII antigen (McAuslan and Reilly '79). The variant also possesses the endothelial surface markers angiotensin converting enzyme and alpha 2-microglobulin. The normal cell synthesises fibronectin and deposits it underneath the cells; the variant also synthesises fibronectin. At least three times more fibronectin is distributed over the upper cell surface of variants. This correlates with the three-fold increased binding of the replication inhibitor Con A and suggests a role of fibronectin in endothelial cell growth control. When stimulated to migrate by CuII ions, the variant leaves deposits of fibronectin in its trail; in contrast, migrating normal cells do not, but they do redistribute their surface fibronectin. As revealed by scanning electron microscopy, variant cells are unusual in that they grow over or under cultured normal endothelial cells. It is proposed that during the process of neovascularisation, variant cells have a special function as lead cells that lay down fibronectin on which an endothelium can become established.

The isolation and characterization in vitro of normal epithelial cells, endothelial cells and fibroblasts from rat urinary bladder

Epithelial cells, microvascular endothelial cells, and fibroblasts have been isolated in culture from normal urinary bladders of Fischer rats. Normal epithelial cells were cultured most efficiently when transitional epithelial sheets were plated on to collagen-coated roller flasks. The epithelial sheets were obtained by two micro-dissection techniques. In the first method, the epithelium was peeled as a large coherent sheet from the submucosal connective tissue following subepithelial injection of a collagenase solution, and after incubation of the bladders in the same enzyme solution. Epithelial sheets with intact basal cell layers were essential for culture success. On collagenous matrices, epithelial differentiation was similar to that in vivo. The in vitro transitional epithelium was composed of three cell layers, namely superficial, intermediate, and basal cells. Basal cells were attached to newly synthesized basal lamina by means of hemidesmosomes. Superficial cells were sealed at their apical lateral membranes by a junctional complex, i.e. a terminal bar. Asymmetric luminal membrane plaques were not apparent. In the second method, the epithelium was separated from the underlying connective tissue after collagenase--trypsin digestion of everted urinary bladders. Although the digest consisted mainly of epithelial cells, these rarely survived the first passage when plated on conventional plastic growth surfaces. After the third culture week, epithelial cells usually died and slowly growing colonies of fibroblasts or large flattened epitheloid cells became apparent. Epitheloid cells were identified by their typical ultrastructure as endothelial cells, showing Weibel--Palade bodies and pinocytotic caveolae. These cells were reactive with antiserum against factor VIII. The free surface of monolayer cultures was non-thrombogenic when incubated in the presence of platelets. Fibroblasts were isolated from heavily contaminated epithelial cell cultures after differential trypsinization. These three cells types represent the normal control cells of an in vitro tumor model for the study of invasiveness. All three cell types are involved in the formation and functional maintenance of the epithelial--stromal junction. The study of cell--cell and cell--matrix interactions may provide important clues for the understanding of tumor invasiveness, a process that starts at the epithelial--stromal junction and proceeds with its destruction.

A variant vascular endothelial cell line with altered growth characteristics

A variant endothelial cell type was found to arise spontaneously from cultures of bovine aortal endothelial cells. This variant showed no contact inhibition and overgrew confluent cultures of wild-type endothelial cells. Unlike other reported variants of this cell type produced by chemical mutagenesis or by withdrawal of polypeptide growth factor, this variant retained the capacity to synthesis factor VIII antigen, but showed no alteration from wild-type in capacity to adsorb platelets. The variant also had an increased capacity to bind FITC-conjugated con A to its surface.

Stimulation of human vascular endothelial cell growth by a platelet-derived growth factor and thrombin

Repair of a vascular wound is mediated by migration and subsequent replication of the endothelial cells that form the inner lining of blood vessels. We have measured the growth response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HuE) to two polypeptides that are transiently produced in high concentrations at the site of a wound; the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and the protease thrombin. When 10(4) HuE cells are seeded as a dense island (2-mm diameter) in the center of a 16-mm tissue culture well in medium containing 20% human serum derived from platelet-poor plasma (PDS), no increase in cell number or colony size is observed. With the addition of 0.5 ng/ml partially purified PDGF, colony size increases and the number of cells after 8 days is 4.8 X 10(4). When human thrombin (1 microgram/ml) is added along with the PDGF, the cell number rises to 9.2 X 10(4). Thrombin alone stimulates no increase in cell number. Although partially purified PDGF stimulates endothelial cells maintained in PDS as well as those maintained in whole blood serum (WBS), pure PDGF is active only when assayed in medium that contains WBS and is supplemented with thrombin. These results suggest the existence of a second class of platelet-derived factors that enable HuE cells to respond to the mitogenic activity of the purified platelet mitogen and thrombin.