Lymphatic endothelial and smooth-muscle cells in tissue culture.
Endothelial and smooth-muscle cells from bovine mesenteric lymphatic vessels have been collected and cultured in vitro. The endothelial cells grew as a monolayer exhibiting a "cobblestone" appearance with individual cells tending to be more flattened at confluence than their blood vascular counterparts. Approximately 30% of these cells expressed Factor VIII antigen compared with bovine mesenteric artery or human umbilical-vein endothelium in which the majority of cells were positive. The lymphatic smooth-muscle cells exhibited focal areas of multilayering and were Factor VIII negative. The availability of lymphatic endothelial and smooth-muscle cells in culture will provide a new tool for the investigation of the biological properties of the lymphatic vessels and their role in homeostasis.
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D046508:Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D004727:Endothelium / Q000166:cytology*; D005169:Factor VIII / Q000032:analysis; D008208:Lymphatic System / Q000166:cytology*; D008638:Mesenteric Arteries / Q000166:cytology; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000166:cytology*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000166:cytology*
D005169:Factor VIII