Isolation and characterization of vascular endothelial cells derived from mice lacking endothelin-1.
Microvascular endothelial cells were isolated from endothelin (ET)-1 knockout mice. The ET-1-lacking endothelial cells represent normal shape and activity of acetyl-LDL uptake. The growth of ET-1-lacking endothelial cells was not different from that of control cells in the presence of serum. Compensatory production of other ET isoforms does not occur in these cells. Conversion of big ET-1 to ET-1 is not different between ET-1-lacking and control cells. These results suggest that ET-1 is not essential to endothelial morphology and growth, that the expression of ET isoforms is not redundant in endothelial cells, and that the machinery processing ET-1 is preserved despite of the absence of its substrate.
Maemura
K
K
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Kurihara
H
H
Kurihara
Y
Y
Nagai
R
R
Yazaki
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases / Q000032:analysis; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002455:Cell Division; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D046508:Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D000072396:Endothelin-Converting Enzymes; D016232:Endothelins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000235:genetics*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology; D006579:Heterozygote; D006720:Homozygote; D007700:Kinetics; D008297:Male; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D008833:Microcirculation; D011247:Pregnancy; D015347:RNA Probes
D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D016232:Endothelins; D015347:RNA Probes; D016282:Aspartic Acid Endopeptidases; D008666:Metalloendopeptidases; D000072396:Endothelin-Converting Enzymes