title: Endothelial VE-cadherin expression in human lungs.
abstract: Cell adhesion molecule vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin) is the major component of endothelial adherence junctions, maintaining endothelial cell integrity. Studies dealing with constitutive VE-cadherin expression patterns in different pulmonary vessel types (arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, veins) or with the influence of physiological factors such as age or sex on VE-cadherin expression have not been published yet. Knowledge of constitutive resp. varying expression patterns not only fundamentally contribute to understanding the role of VE-cadherin in the pathogenesis of pulmonary diseases but also help to develop therapies based on immunotargeting. Hence, endothelial VE-cadherin expression was studied in regular lung tissue. Fifty-eight specimens of regular lung tissue (30 females, 28 males between 1 month and 75 years old) were immunohistochemically stained with an antibody against VE-cadherin. There was strong endothelial expression of VE-cadherin in arteries, arterioles, and capillaries but almost no expression in veins and venules. Neither age nor sex had any influence on the expression pattern or staining intensity. There is a vessel type-specific expression pattern for VE-cadherin in regular human lung tissue, which is not influenced by age or sex. Further studies will have to prove whether this is influenced by pathological conditions, e.g., ARDS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Bonn, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, 53127 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Martina C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Herwig
authors.forename: Klaus-Michael
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: Annette M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Müller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis*; D001160:Arterioles / Q000737:chemistry; D015820:Cadherins / Q000032:analysis*; D002196:Capillaries / Q000737:chemistry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008168:Lung / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000737:chemistry*; D011667:Pulmonary Veins / Q000737:chemistry; D012737:Sex Factors; D014699:Venules / Q000737:chemistry; D000099152:Cadherin 5
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D015820:Cadherins; D000099152:Cadherin 5