Summary
The ultrastructure of human umbilical cord vein endothelium in situ, after isolation by collagenase treatment, and in primary culture is described. The cultured cells formed a monolayer with typical “butt” and interdigitated junctions with specialized areas, and contained Weibel-Palade bodies, rod-shaped tubular organelles considered specific of endothelial cells. These morphological features were not present in cultures of human skin fibroblasts and fibroblast-like cells derived from umbilical cords. It is thus concluded that endothelial cells retain their characteristic fine structure in primary culture. Simple ultrastructural studies can thus be used to identify endothelial cells in culture.
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Supported in part by the Norwegian Research Council for Science and the Humanities, the Norwegian Council on Cardiovascular Diseases, and legacies from the University of Oslo.
The authors thank Inger Holmefjord, Anne Vefling and Bodil Tveitnes for excellent technical assistance. The kind cooperation of Professor K. Bjøro and Dr. P. Fylling and the staffs at Kvinneklinikken, Rikshospitalet and Oslo Kommunale Kvinneklinikk, Oslo in obtaining umbilical cords is gratefully appreciated. Human skin fibroblasts were kindly provided by Tissue Typing Laboratory, Rikshospitalet.
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Elgjo, R.F., Henriksen, T. & Evensen, S.A. Ultrastructural identification of umbilical cord vein endothelium in situ and in culture. Cell Tissue Res. 162, 49–59 (1975). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00223261
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00223261