Expandable Arterial Endothelial Precursors from Human CD34⁺ Cells Differ in Their Proclivity to Undergo an Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition.

ABSTRACT: Arterial diseases continue to pose a major health concern but in vitro studies are limited because explanted cells can exhibit poor proliferative capacity and a loss of specificity. Here, we find that two transcription factors, MYCN and SOX17, induce and indefinitely expand in culture precursors of human arterial endothelial cells (expandable arterial endothelial precursors [eAEPs]). The eAEPs are derived from CD34⁺ cells found in umbilical cord blood or adult bone marrow. Independent eAEP lines differ in their proclivity to undergo an endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT), a hallmark event in a broad array of vascular diseases and disorders. Some cell lines spontaneously become mesenchymal over time in culture, an effect exacerbated by inhibition of the fibroblast grow

SUBMITTER: Miller AZ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5769011 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature