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Isolation and characterization of endothelial cells from different organs of fetal pigs

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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to isolate endothelial cells from different organs of porcine fetuses and to examine the binding of endothelial markers including lectins. Endothelial cells were isolated from the aorta, cerebral cortex, myocardium, ovary and testis. Binding of the antibodies to von Willebrand factor (vWF) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), the presence of Weibel Palade bodies (WPB), uptake of acetylated low density lipoprotein (acLDL), and labelling with the lectins Bandeiraea simplicifolia agglutinin I (BS I), Peanut agglutinin (PNA), Dolichos biflorus agglutinin (DBA) and Ulex europaeus agglutinin I (UEA I) were examined. Cell preparations displayed cobblestone-like morphology with the exception of testicular endothelium, which formed arcuate structures. Endothelium isolated from the brain labelled more strongly than any other cell line with the lectin PNA, but it did not express ACE. In contrast to other cell preparations, myocardial endothelium showed very low binding of anti-vWF. Ovarian endothelium was able to perform in vitro angiogenesis. Moreover, these endothelial cells possessed the largest number of WPB. Testicular endothelium displayed highest binding of vWF. Endothelium isolated from the aorta, in contrast to all other endothelial cells, did not take up acLDL. These results demonstrate that organ- and tissue-specific heterogeneity is already expressed in fetal endothelium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Munich, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Veterinärstrasse 13, D-80539, Munich, Germany

    Johanna Plendl, Christine Neumüller & Fred Sinowatz

  2. University of Munich, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Veterinärstrasse 13, D-80539, Munich, Germany

    Angelika Vollmar

  3. Zoology Research, Center for Developmental Biology, 1117 West Johnson Street, WI 53706, Madison, USA

    Robert Auerbach

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  1. Johanna Plendl
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  2. Christine Neumüller
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Plendl, J., Neumüller, C., Vollmar, A. et al. Isolation and characterization of endothelial cells from different organs of fetal pigs. Anat Embryol 194, 445–456 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00185992

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