Metalloproteinase expression by control and telomerase immortalized human endometrial endothelial cells.
Vascular endothelial cells play a critical role in the maintenance of endometrial homeostasis. Indeed many pathological conditions causing abnormal endometrial bleeding including progestin only contraception, hormone replacement therapy, endometrial polyps, myomas, hyperplasia and cancer are associated with aberrant angiogenesis. Critical to the process of angiogenesis is the breakdown of the surrounding tissues by matrix metalloproteases (MMPs). In addition to the cells surrounding the endometrial endothelial cells, the endothelial cells themselves produce their own panel of MMPs. We now characterize the specific MMPs that are expressed by endothelial cells derived from human endometrium. These include MMP-1, MMP-2 and MMP-10 but not MMP-3. In addition, in order to successfully carry out consistent, homogeneous and sufficient numbers of studies we investigated the in vitro expression of the MMPs with both freshly isolated, early passaged endometrial endothelial cells (HEECs) as well as with newly telomerase immortalized HEECs (T-HEECs). The latter were karyotypically normal and expressed classic endothelial cell endpoints such as tubulogenesis on matrigel and expression of the endothelial cell markers CD-31 (PECAM), von Willebrand's factor, and the Tie-2 receptors. The levels of MMP expression as well as that of the metalloprotease inhibitors TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 were similar in parent and immortalized endothelial cells.
Krikun
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G
Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520-8063, USA. graciela.krikun@yale.edu
Mor
G
G
Huang
J
J
Schatz
F
F
Lockwood
C J
CJ
D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004717:Endometrium / Q000166:cytology; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D045726:Metalloproteases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D019716:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1; D019716:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2; D019098:Telomerase; D045726:Metalloproteases