A PRACTICAL QUESTION BASED ON CROSS-PLATFORM MICROARRAY DATA NORMALIZATION: ARE BOEC MORE LIKE LARGE VESSEL OR MICROVASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL CELLS OR NEITHER OF THEM?

Platelet-independent adhesion of calcium-loaded erythrocytes to von Willebrand factor

Adhesion of erythrocytes to endothelial cells lining the vascular wall can cause vaso-occlusive events that impair blood flow which in turn may result in ischemia and tissue damage. Adhesion of erythrocytes to vascular endothelial cells has been described in multiple hemolytic disorders, especially in sickle cell disease, but the adhesion of normal erythrocytes to endothelial cells has hardly been described. It was shown that calcium-loaded erythrocytes can adhere to endothelial cells. Because sickle erythrocyte adhesion to ECs can be enhanced by ultra-large von Willebrand factor multimers, we investigated whether calcium loading of erythrocytes could promote binding to endothelial cells via ultra-large von Willebrand factor multimers. We used (immunofluorescent) live-cell imaging of washed erythrocytes perfused over primary endothelial cells at venular flow rate. Using this approach, we show that calcium-loaded erythrocytes strongly adhere to histamine-stimulated primary human endothelial cells. This adhesion is mediated by ultra-large von Willebrand factor multimers. Von Willebrand factor knockdown or ADAMTS13 cleavage abolished the binding of erythrocytes to activated endothelial cells under flow. Platelet depletion did not interfere with erythrocyte binding to von Willebrand factor. Our results reveal platelet-independent adhesion of calcium-loaded erythrocytes to endothelium-derived von Willebrand factor. Erythrocyte adhesion to von Willebrand factor may be particularly relevant for venous thrombosis, which is characterized by the formation of erythrocyte-rich thrombi.

Segregation of late outgrowth endothelial cells into functional endothelial CD34- and progenitor-like CD34+ cell populations

Late outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs) that originate from peripheral blood mononuclear cells ex vivo have phenotypic and functional properties of mature endothelial cells. Given the potential therapeutic applications of OECs, understanding their biology is crucial. We have identified two distinct OEC populations based on differential expression of the cell surface marker CD34. OEC colonies lacked CD34 expression (CD34-), expressed CD34 in the majority of cells (CD34+), or showed a mixed expression pattern within a colony (CD34+/-). CD34+ and CD34- OECs were negative for hematopoietic cell marker CD45 and expressed the endothelial cell surface markers CD31, CD146, CD105, and VEGFR-2. Functionally CD34- and CD34+ OECs exhibited strikingly distinct behaviors. CD34- OECs, unlike CD34+ OECs, were capable of sprouting, formed tubes, and responded to angiogenic growth factors in vitro. In vivo, CD34- OECs formed endothelial tubes, while CD34+ OECs, despite being unable to form tubes, promoted infiltration of murine vasculature. Global gene expression profiling in CD34- and CD34+ OECs identified functional importance of the MMP-1/PAR-1 pathway in CD34- OECs. MMP-1 stimulated the expression of VEGFR-2, neuropilin-1, neuropilin-2, and CXCR4 and activated ERK1/2, whereas down-regulation of PAR-1 in CD34- OECs resulted in impaired angiogenic responses in vitro and reduced VEGFR-2 levels. In contrast, the CD34+ OEC colonies expressed high levels of the progenitor cell marker ALDH, which was absent in CD34- OECs. In summary, we show that OECs can be classified into functionally mature endothelial cells (CD34- OECs) that depend on the MMP-1/PAR-1 pathway and progenitor-like angiogenesis-promoting cells (CD34+ OECs).

Mild heat stress enhances angiogenesis in a co-culture system consisting of primary human osteoblasts and outgrowth endothelial cells

The repair and regeneration of large bone defects, including the formation of functional vasculature, represents a highly challenging task for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Recent studies have shown that vascularization and ossification can be stimulated by mild heat stress (MHS), which would offer the option to enhance the bone regeneration process by relatively simple means. However, the mechanisms of MHS-enhanced angiogenesis and osteogenesis, as well as potential risks for the treated cells are unclear. We have investigated the direct effect of MHS on angiogenesis and osteogenesis in a co-culture system of human outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs) and primary osteoblasts (pOBs), and assessed cytotoxic effects, as well as the levels of various heat shock proteins (HSPs) synthesized under these conditions. Enhanced formation of microvessel-like structures was observed in co-cultures exposed to MHS (41°C, 1 h), twice per week, over a time period of 7-14 days. As shown by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha was up-regulated in MHS-treated co-cultures 24 h post-treatment. At the protein level, significantly elevated VEGF and Ang-1 concentrations were observed in MHS-treated co-cultures and pOB mono-cultures compared with controls, indicating paracrine effects associated with MHS-induced angiogenesis. MHS-stimulated co-cultures and OEC mono-cultures released higher levels of Ang-2 than untreated cultures. On the other hand MHS treatment of co-cultures did not result in a clear effect regarding osteogenesis. Nevertheless, real-time PCR demonstrated that MHS increased the expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase, interleukin-6, and bone morphogenetic protein 2, known as HSP-related molecules in angiogenic and osteogenic regulation pathways. In agreement with these observations, the expression of some selected HSPs also increased at both the mRNA and protein levels in MHS-treated co-cultures.

Endothelial lineage cell as a vehicle for systemic delivery of cancer gene therapy

A major limitation of cancer gene therapy is the difficulty of delivering a therapeutic gene to distant sites of metastatic disease. A promising strategy to address this difficulty is to use expanded ex vivo cells to produce a therapeutic protein. As with other approaches to gene therapy, this strategy is attractive when the therapeutic protein is unstable ex vivo or has a short circulating half life in vivo. The initial step to develop a cancer gene therapy using autologous cell delivery is the identification of a cell type that migrates to the tumor site, is readily available for harvesting, and is manipulated easily ex vivo. Recent evidence suggests that endothelial progenitor, precursor, and blood outgrowth endothelial cells are attracted to the tumor vasculature by its angiogenic drive. Here, we review recent advances in the study of circulating endothelial cell-mediated tumor vasculogenesis and discuss the advantages and challenges of bringing endothelial lineage-based cancer gene therapy closer to clinical application.

Outgrowth endothelial cells: sources, characteristics and potential applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine

Endothelial progenitor cells from peripheral blood or cord blood are attracting increasing interest as a potential cell source for cellular therapies aiming to enhance the neovascularization of tissue engineered constructs or ischemic tissues. The present review focus on a specific population contained in endothelial progenitor cell cultures designated as outgrowth endothelial cells (OEC) or endothelial colony forming cells from peripheral blood or cord blood. Special attention will be paid to what is currently known in terms of the origin and the cell biological or functional characteristics of OEC. Furthermore, we will discuss current concepts, how OEC might be integrated in complex tissue engineered constructs based on biomaterial or co-cultures, with special emphasis on their potential application in bone tissue engineering and related vascularization strategies.

The phosphatase Shp2 is required for signaling by the Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus viral GPCR in primary endothelial cells

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is the causative agent of Kaposi's sarcoma (KS), an AIDS-related endothelial cell malignancy that is the most common cancer in central and southern Africa. The KSHV viral G protein-coupled receptor (vGPCR) is a viral oncogene that conveys a survival advantage to endothelial cells and causes KS-like tumors in mouse models. In this study we investigate the role of Shp2, a protein tyrosine phosphatase in vGPCR signaling. Shp2 is vital to many cytokine-induced signaling pathways and is dysregulated in various infections and malignancies. It has also recently been implicated in angiogenesis. We find that vGPCR activity results in phosphorylation of regulatory tyrosines in Shp2 and that in turn, Shp2 is required for vGPCR-mediated activation of MEK, NFkappaB, and AP-1. Furthermore, both genetic and chemical inhibition of Shp2 abrogate vGPCR-induced enhancement of endothelial cell migration. This establishes Shp2 as an important point of convergence of KSHV vGPCR signaling and a potential molecular target in the design of an anti-KSHV therapeutic regimen.

Penalized model-based clustering with unconstrained covariance matrices

Clustering is one of the most useful tools for high-dimensional analysis, e.g., for microarray data. It becomes challenging in presence of a large number of noise variables, which may mask underlying clustering structures. Therefore, noise removal through variable selection is necessary. One effective way is regularization for simultaneous parameter estimation and variable selection in model-based clustering. However, existing methods focus on regularizing the mean parameters representing centers of clusters, ignoring dependencies among variables within clusters, leading to incorrect orientations or shapes of the resulting clusters. In this article, we propose a regularized Gaussian mixture model permitting a treatment of general covariance matrices, taking various dependencies into account. At the same time, this approach shrinks the means and covariance matrices, achieving better clustering and variable selection. To overcome one technical challenge in estimating possibly large covariance matrices, we derive an E-M algorithm utilizing the graphical lasso (Friedman et al 2007) for parameter estimation. Numerical examples, including applications to microarray gene expression data, demonstrate the utility of the proposed method.