Culture-induced changes in blood-brain barrier transcriptome: implications for amino-acid transporters in vivo.
Tight homeostatic control of brain amino acids (AA) depends on transport by solute carrier family proteins expressed by the blood-brain barrier (BBB) microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC). To characterize the mouse BMEC transcriptome and probe culture-induced changes, microarray analyses of platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1-positive (PECAM1(+)) endothelial cells (ppMBMECs) were compared with primary MBMECs (pMBMEC) cultured in the presence or absence of glial cells and with b.End5 endothelioma cell line. Selected cell marker and AA transporter mRNA levels were further verified by reverse transcription real-time PCR. Regardless of glial coculture, expression of a large subset of genes was strongly altered by a brief culture step. This is consistent with the known dependence of BMECs on in vivo interactions to maintain physiologic functions, for example, tight barrier formation, and their consequent dedifferentiation in culture. Seven (4F2hc, Lat1, Taut, Snat3, Snat5, Xpct, and Cat1) of nine AA transporter mRNAs highly expressed in freshly isolated ppMBMECs were strongly downregulated for all cultures and two (Snat2 and Eaat3) were variably regulated. In contrast, five AA transporter mRNAs with low expression in ppMBMECs, including y(+)Lat2, xCT, and Snat1, were upregulated by culture. We hypothesized that the AA transporters highly expressed in ppMBMECs and downregulated in culture have a major in vivo function for BBB transendothelial transport.
Lyck
Ruth
R
Theodor Kocher Institute, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Ruderisch
Nadine
N
Moll
Anton G
AG
Steiner
Oliver
O
Cohen
Clemens D
CD
Engelhardt
Britta
B
Makrides
Victoria
V
Verrey
Francois
F
D026905:Amino Acid Transport Systems / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000502:physiology*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006706:Homeostasis; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D008833:Microcirculation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D026905:Amino Acid Transport Systems; D015415:Biomarkers; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1