The pattern of cytokine messenger RNA expression in human aortic endothelial cells is different from that of human umbilical vein endothelial cells

Abstract

Endothelial cells most readily available and most frequently used in investigations of alloimmunity and cytokine expression and function are derived from human umbilical veins. It is unclear whether cells derived from fetal venous tissue are relevant to phenomena related to the adult allograft, especially in areas such as cardiac allograft vasculopathy, a chronic rejection process directed against the coronary arteries. Human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs) were compared to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) for their constitutive expression of poly (A)+ RNA coding for a group of cytokines known to stimulate smooth muscle cell proliferation, including acidic fibroblast growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, transforming growth factor alpha, transforming growth factor beta, platelet-derived growth factor A-chain, platelet-derived growth factor B-chain and amphiregulin. Poly (A)+ RNA coding for basic fibroblast growth factor and transforming factor-beta was consistently expressed by all nine isolates of HAECs, but platelet-derived growth factor A- and B-chain were expressed in only six of the nine isolates. In most cases this was related to the presence of transforming growth factor alpha expression. In contrast, HUVECs consistently expressed basic fibroblast growth factor, transforming growth factor-beta, and both platelet-derived growth factor chains. Transforming growth factor alpha expression was never seen in the HUVEC isolates. No endothelial cell isolate expressed mRNA coding for acidic fibroblast growth factor or amphiregulin. There appear to be differences between cytokine gene expression patterns by endothelial cells from different vascular beds.