Cytokine-induced memory-like responses in endothelial cells link chronic inflammation to vascular disease risk.

ABSTRACT: Chronic inflammation plays a central role in the progression of both infectious and vascular diseases, yet its impact on endothelial cells (ECs), which form the interface between blood and tissue, remains poorly understood. Given their constant exposure to inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IFN-γ, we set out to investigate how cytokine induced inflammation shapes EC function at the molecular level. Using primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), we modeled repeated cytokine exposure to simulate a chronically inflamed microenvironment. Transcriptomic and epigenetic profiling revealed that ECs respond to this chronic stimulation with durable transcriptional and chromatin changes. These responses included phenotypes resembling immune cell priming, training, and tolerance,

SUBMITTER: Le KTT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12519785 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature