Original Contributions |
Correspondence to Dr Avrum I. Gotlieb, The Toronto Hospital, 200 Elizabeth Street, CCRW 1-857, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4. E-mail avrum.gotlieb{at}utoronto.ca
| Abstract |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Key Words: endothelium migration repair atherosclerosis
| Introduction |
|---|
|
|
|---|
The intimal cushion present on the flow divider wall at branches in vivo is thought to be a physiological response to altered flow dynamics that may eventually become a precursor lesion of atherosclerosis. Modifications of flow implicated in lesion development include increased or decreased flow velocity or wall shear stress, flow separation, and departures from unidirectional laminar flow, including both orderly, nonlinear flow patterns and turbulence.8 Fluctuations in blood flow in experimental animals, particularly at sites of branching, can affect endothelial cell morphology,9 10 cause separation of intercellular junctions,11 and denudation of cells with the subsequent adherence of platelets.12 Such factors may account for the preferential location of plaques at the entrances of branches.
In vivo, cells within regions of eccentric intimal thickening such as the intimal cushion, an area of thickening present on the downstream margins of branch point openings, have been found to show altered function compared with cells from adjacent, thinner areas of the intima including the presence of focal patterns of increased cell proliferation with high permeability to Evans Blue dye at flow divider intimal cushions in the intercostal ostia of normocholesterolemic young pigs.13 Increased permeability of the endothelial lining to plasma lipids has also been observed in rabbit models of atherosclerosis.14
We used cell cultures to study the endothelial cells harvested from areas at branches and away from branches in the thoracic aorta to assess their ability to repair in vitro denuding wounds. Because dysfunctional repair is thought to be important in the pathogenesis of at least some atherosclerotic plaques, it was hypothesized that a decreased capacity for repair would be observed in endothelial cells harvested from atherosclerosis-prone regions around branches.
| Materials and Methods |
|---|
|
|
|---|
Cells from 4 regions in each thoracic aorta were collected (Figure 1
): the first 3 intercostal branch point
flow dividers (flow divider, [fd]), the area distal to these
intercostal branches (opposite flow divider, [ofd]), unbranched
tissue opposite the branch point (unbranched opposite intercostal,
[uboi]), and unbranched tissue above the first intercostal but below
the aortic arch (unbranched above intercostal, [ubqi]). In order to
harvest endothelial cells from these 4 regions, each
region was gently scraped using a number-22 scalpel blade. Each scrape
was washed from the blades into separate wells of 24-welled Falcon
trays with
1 mL medium M199 (Gibco) containing 5% fetal bovine
serum (Gibco), 2% penicillin/streptomycin, and 2% fungizone (Gibco)
fed through a 10-mL syringe and 21-gauge needle. Cell cultures were fed
twice weekly thereafter until cultures were established. They were then
plated into 35-mm dishes and grown to confluency, at which time cells
harvested from the same region for each of the 3 aortas were pooled and
then plated into 100-mm dishes. Confluent cells were then passaged once
more into 35-mm dishes in preparation for wounding. Analyses of
wound repair kinetics and growth curves were performed on harvested
endothelial cells between passages 3 and 5.
Collagenase-harvested thoracic aortic
endothelial cells, harvested as previously
described,6 were fed in the same manner as scraped cells
and were used as a control in the following experiments.
|
Cell Identification
DiI-conjugated acetylated LDL has been used as a marker
for endothelial cells.15
Acetylated-LDL (Biomedical Technologies Inc) was incubated with
harvested cells for 2 hours at 5 µg/mL in culture medium to
demonstrate that cells were endothelial in nature.
Collagenase-harvested porcine thoracic
endothelial and smooth muscle cells served as controls.
Harvested and control cells on glass coverslips were also labeled using
immunofluorescent rhodamine phalloidin (Molecular Probes, 1:20)
to demonstrate F-actin, along with an alpha smooth muscle cell actin
mouse monoclonal primary (1:400) followed by an
FITC-conjugated goat anti-mouse secondary (Sigma Chemical Co, 1:100) to
confirm their endothelial characteristics.
Wound Closure Experiments
Cells were grown to confluency on coverslips in 35-mm dishes at
which time a linear wound measuring approximately 2 to 2.5 mm was
made down the center of the coverslip using a plastic spatula. An
orienting scratch and 3 guide scratches were made on the periphery of
the coverslip with a diamond-tipped pencil, then wounded cultures were
rinsed with PBS and fed with fresh standard medium M199 containing 5%
fetal bovine serum. Media were not changed for the duration of the
experiment. The distance between the 2 edges of the wounds were
measured under phase microscopy using a 1-mm micrometer at
each of 3 scratch marks for each of 3 dishes per location at the time
of wounding, and after 24 and 48 hours in culture.
Collagenase-harvested thoracic aortic
endothelial cells which are routinely used in the
laboratory were used as a control. Experiments were performed in
triplicate and analyzed using a factorial ANOVA to determine
significance. If significance was observed, then a Fisher's PLSD post
hoc test was run (Statsview 4.5, Power Macintosh 7200/90).
Growth Curves
Growth curves were carried out during a 7-day period for cells
from the 4 regions of the aorta (fd, ofd, uboi, and ubai). Confluent
cultures were washed twice with warmed PBS, then 2 mL of trypsin was
added. Once cells detached from the culture dish, 3 mL of medium was
added to neutralize the trypsin. Cells were washed off by gently
pipetting the medium/trypsin around the dish. A 0.5-mL sample was drawn
for counting, then the remaining 4.5 mL was collected and
centrifuged. The medium/trypsin was then aspirated, leaving
<0.5 mL in each tube. Fresh media were added to each tube in
proportions that would achieve a final concentration of 15 000 cells
per 300-µL aliquot and cell pellets were resuspended. Ninety-six
35-mm dishes without coverslips (24 per location) were plated with
15 000 cells initially. A total of 3 dishes per location for each of 8
time points (5 hours, 1 day, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 days) were plated.
Cells were fed every 2 days with standard medium M199 containing 5%
FBS.
Three dishes were selected at random from each of the 4 locations at each time point. Each dish was washed twice with warm PBS, followed by addition of 1 mL of warmed trypsin and incubated at 37°C for 2 minutes. Cells were dispersed by pipetting, and a 0.5-mL aliquot was withdrawn for counting on a Coulter counter (Coulter Industries Inc, Model 7163ZF). Each sample was counted 3 times and an average value taken. Results shown represent experiments performed in triplicate and analyzed using a factorial ANOVA to determine significance.
F-actin and Tubulin Expression in Wounded Cultures
Wounded cells on glass coverslips at 0, 24, and 48 hours
postwounding were rinsed with warm PBS, then fixed for 20 minutes with
warm 3% paraformaldehyde, after which time they were
rinsed and permeabilized with 0.1% triton for 3
minutes.16 Cells were double-labeled using monoclonal mouse
anti-
-tubulin (Sigma Chemical Co) applied in a 1:500 dilution for 1
hour, followed by an FITC-conjugated goat anti-mouse secondary (Sigma
Chemical Co, 1:100), and rhodamine phalloidin (1:25, 30 minutes) to
demonstrate microtubules and F-actin, respectively. Coverslips were
inverted, mounted in 1:1 glycerol/PBS, and cells from the leading edge
of wounds were analyzed under laser scanning confocal
microscopy. Cells at the leading edge were scanned to depths of
2.5 µm.
| Results |
|---|
|
|
|---|
|
|
Wound Closure
Percent wound closure refers to the degree to which wounds have
closed at the time point measured, with 100% referring to the closure
of the gap between wound edges. Significantly greater wound closure was
measured in collagenase-harvested unbranched
endothelial cells and cells from unbranched areas
compared with cells derived from either side of intercostal ostia.
Wound edges of cells harvested from the flow divider and wall opposite
the flow divider closed by 22±0.084 µm and 22±1.3 µm,
respectively (n=3), versus cells harvested from
collagenase-harvested unbranched
endothelial cells (30±2.2 µm) and
scrape-harvested unbranched regions (uboi, 33±2.0 µm; ubai,
31±2.0 µm) at 24 hours.
By 48 hours, the difference in wound closure seen at 24 hours was even
more pronounced. Cells from branch regions again showed a significantly
decreased extent of wound closure (fd, 48±3.4 µm; ofd,
47±3.6 µm) compared with cells from collagenase
(ec: 61±3.4 µm) and scrape-harvested unbranched regions (uboi,
65±3.4 µm; ubai, 62±3.0 µm). Cells harvested from
branch point ostia, examined by phase-contrast microscopy at both 24
and 48 hours, appeared less elongated than cells harvested from
unbranched regions and collagenase-harvested cells, which
was consistent with the reduced degree of wound closure
observed. The wound closure data are summarized in Figure 4
.
|
Growth Curves
Cell culture growth for 7 days is shown in Figure 5
. Plating efficiency averaged 99% at 5
hours postplating and cell numbers grew exponentially from day 2
(30 211±3577) and thereafter through day 4 (126 294±16 092), after
which time proliferation slowed by 50%, presumably caused by cell
quiescence as monolayers approached confluency. No differences were
observed between cell numbers between regions on any given day during 7
days culture (final count: 275 140±24 354), suggesting that
differential rates of cell proliferation are not likely to account for
the differences in wound closure observed in earlier experiments.
|
F-actin and
-Tubulin Expression
Cells from branched and unbranched areas were similar at 24 and 48
hours in terms of F-actin and
-tubulin distribution
(collagenase-harvested endothelial cells,
Figure 6
; flow dividerharvested
endothelial cells, Figure 7
; cells from unbranched aorta opposite
the intercostals, Figure 8
). At the time
of wounding, a dense peripheral band of actin
microfilaments was present around cell borders and cells contained
few central microfilament bundles in collagenase-harvested
endothelial cells (Figure 6
). Microtubules
spanned the entire area of cells in a fibril-like network in cells
along the wound edge and centrosomes were observed to be located
randomly around the cell nucleus (Figure 6
).
|
|
|
Loss of the dense peripheral band in cells along the wound edge was observed in all cells at 24 hours postwounding along with prominent central microfilaments oriented perpendicularly to the wound edge in elongated cells. Microtubule distribution, which again spanned the length of cells and extended into lamellipodial extrusions, was more condensed. Centrosomes in cells at the leading edge of the wound were oriented toward the wound edge. At 48 hours, cells were similar to those at 24 hours in terms of actin microfilament orientation. Microtubule distribution resembled that seen at 24 hours.
| Discussion |
|---|
|
|
|---|
One possibility to account for the relatively decreased capacity of branch-harvested cells to migrate may be a delay in growth factor-influenced cytoskeletal reorganization. A number of growth factors released at various times during wound healing including platelet-derived growth factor,17 epidermal growth factor,18 19 the interleukins,20 and basic fibroblast growth factor21 22 play roles in the stimulation/inhibition of cell proliferation and migration. Platelet-derived growth factorinduced cell motility via the reorganization of actin microfilaments is thought to involve the PI3-kinase pathway.23 Basic fibroblast growth factor, known to be required for centrosome redistribution to the front of the cell in anticipation of cell migration,6 has recently been implicated in the expression and synthesis of biglycan-rich matrix in migrating endothelial cells after wounding.24 Additionally, levels of growth factor signaling are dependent on the temporal and spatial activation of extracellular matrix receptors and the modulation of classical signal transduction pathways including protein tyrosine phosphorylation25 and the downstream activation of protein kinase C.26 The activation of these pathways has also been shown to result in the enhancement of cytoskeletal reorganization and subsequent cell motility.25 26 However, analysis of F-actin microfilament distribution and the associated tubulin network in actively migrating endothelial cells at the wound edge did not reveal obvious distinctions between harvested cells. Loss of the dense peripheral band and the appearance of central stress fibers oriented perpendicularly to the wound edge, conditions which are characteristic of porcine endothelial cell migration,16 were similar among cells at both 24 and 48 hours.
Differences in the rates of wound closure observed between cells from branch regions and cells from unbranched regions may also reflect differences in proliferation. This is difficult to assess because proliferation at the wound edge is closely related to migration, and a reduction in migration has been shown to result in a reduction in cell proliferation.27 Thus, we assessed growth in the cell populations by growth curve analysis, to ensure that there was not a general defect in cell proliferation in any of the cell populations when compared with each other and to normal cells. There were no differences between the 4 regions. It is arguable, however, whether the initial plating of cells for growth curve measurements is a proliferative stimulus comparable with that effected in cells at the leading edge by mechanical wounding. Pepper and colleagues28 have demonstrated that intercellular communication in mechanically wounded bovine microvascular cell cultures is significantly greater at 24 hours compared with that observed in sparse and preconfluent cell monolayers; however, investigators also found that increased junctional communication did not correlate with bovine microvascular cell proliferation.
In addition to cell migration and proliferation, repair after injury
also requires controlled remodeling of the extracellular matrix. The
use of culture systems has provided ample evidence to support a role
for the extracellular matrix in influencing the rate of cell migration
in vascular endothelial cells. Specific matrix proteins
such as laminin in particular are known to influence
endothelial proliferation29 30 and
differentiation.31 In vivo, cells located in areas of high
mechanical strain produce more of the extracellular matrix proteins
tenascin and collagen VII.32 It is therefore possible that
endothelial cells harvested from different locations in
the aorta evolve varying ratios of the various extracellular matrix
proteins on injury, which may confer to harvested cells the different
reparative capacities observed in culture. In any event, wound repair
requires a continually evolving network of interactions among cells and
the extracellular matrix in which they reside. The integrin family of
cell surface receptors is well known for their role in mediating
cellular adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins. Indeed, Liaw and
colleagues33 have reported that the upregulation of
osteopontin in injured rat arteries stimulates the directed migration
of bovine aortic endothelial cells through interactions
with the
v ß 3 receptor.
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
Received May 20, 1998; accepted August 24, 1998.
| References |
|---|
|
|
|---|
2. Ross R. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis - an update. N Engl J Med. 1986;314:488500.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
3.
Gotlieb A, Spector I, Wong M, Lacey C. In vitro
reendothelialization: microfilament bundle
reorganization in migrating porcine endothelial cells.
Arteriosclerosis. 1984;4:9196.
4.
Wong M, Gotlieb A. The reorganization of
microfilaments, centrosomes, and microtubules during in vitro small
wound reendothelialization. J Cell
Biol. 1988;107:17771783.
5.
Coomber B, Gotlieb A. In vitro
endothelial wound repair: interaction of cell migration
and proliferation. Arteriosclerosis. 1990;10:215222.
6. Ettenson D, Gotlieb A. Endothelial wounds with disruption in cell migration repair primarily by cell proliferation. Microvasc Res. 1994;48:328337.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
7. Lee J, Rosenthal A, Gotlieb A. Transition of aortic endothelial cells from resting to migrating cells is associated with 3 sequential patterns of microfilament organization. J Vasc Res. 1996;33:1324.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
8. Glagov S, Zarins CK, Giddens D, Ku D. Hemodynamics and atherosclerosis. Insights and perspectives from studies of human arteries. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1988;112:10181030.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
9. Reidy M, Bowyer D. Scanning electron microscopy of arteries. The morphology of aortic endothelium in haemodynamically stressed areas associated with branches. Atherosclerosis. 1977;26:181194.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
10.
Langille L, Adamson S. Relationship between blood flow
direction and endothelial cell orientation at
arterial branch sites in rabbits and mice. Circ
Res. 1981;48:481487.
11. Yoshida Y, Okano M, Wang S, Kobayashi M, Kawasumi M, Hagiwara H, Mitsumata M. Hemodynamic-force-induced difference of interendothelial junctional complexes. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1993;114:104121.
12. Thorgeirsson G, Robertson A. The vascular endothelium: pathobiologic significance. Am J Pathol. 1978;93:803848.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
13. Caplan B, Schwartz C. Increased endothelial cell turnover in areas of in vivo Evans Blue uptake in the pig aorta. Atherosclerosis. 1973;17:401417.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
14.
Schwenke D, Carew T. Quantification in vivo of
increased LDL content and rate of LDL degradation in normal rabbit
aorta occurring at sites susceptible to early atherosclerotic lesions.
Circ Res. 1988;62:699710.
15. Netland P, Zetter B, Via D, Voyta J. In situ labelling of vascular endothelium with fluorescent acetylated low density lipoprotein. Histochem J. 1985;17:13091320.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
16. Wong M, Gotlieb A. The reorganization of microfilaments, centrosomes, and microtubules during in vitro small wound reendothelialization. J Cell Biol. 1988;107:17771783.
17.
Bonin L, Damon D. Vascular cell interactions modulate
the expression of endothelin-1 and platelet-derived growth factor
BB. Am J Physiol. 1994;267:H1698H1706.
18. D'Amore PA. Mechanisms of endothelial growth control. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 1992;6:18.
19. D'Amore PA, Smith SR. Growth factor effects on cells of the vascular wall: a survey. Growth Factors. 1993;8:6175.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
20.
Ku G, Thoma C, Akeson A, Jackson R. Induction of
interleukin 1 beta expression from human peripheral blood
monocyte-derived macrophages by 9-hydroctadecadienoic acid.
J Biol Chem. 1992;267:1418314188.
21. Edelman E, Nugent M, Smith L, Karnovsky M. Basic fibroblast growth factor enhances the coupling of intimal hyperplasia and proliferation of vasa vasorum in injured rat arteries. J Clin Invest. 1992;89:465473.
22.
Bikfalfi A, Klein S, Pintucci G, Quarto N, Mignatti P,
Rifkin D. Differential modulation of cell phenotype by
different molecular weight forms of basic fibroblast growth factor:
possible intracellular signaling by the high molecular weight forms.
J Cell Biol. 1995;129:233243.
23. Hoosemand-Rad R, Claesson-Welsh L, Wennstrom S, Yokote K, Siegbahn A, Heldin C. Involvement of phosphatidylinositide 3 factor-induced actin reorganization and chemotaxis. Exp Cell Res. 1997;234:434441.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
24.
Kinsella M, Tsoi C, Jarvelainen H, Wight T. Selective
expression and processing of biglycan during migration of bovine aortic
endothelial cells. The role of endogenous
basic fibroblast growth factor. J Biol Chem. 1997;272:318325.
25. Camussi G, Montrucchio G, Lupia E, De Martino A, Perona L, Arese M, Vercellone A, Toniolo A, Bussolino F. Platelet-activating factor directly stimulates in vitro migration of endothelial cells and promotes in vivo angiogenesis by a heparin-dependent mechanism. J Immunol. 1995;154:64926501.[Abstract]
26. Romer L, McLean N, Turner C, Burridge K. Tyrosine kinase activity, cytoskeletal organization, and motility in human vascular endothelial cells. Mol Biol Cell. 1994;5:349361.[Abstract]
27. Coomber B, Gotlieb A. In vitro endothelial wound repair: interaction of cell migration and proliferation. Arteriosclerosis. 1990;10:215222.
28.
Pepper M, Spray D, Montesano R, Orci L, Meda P.
Junctional communication is induced in migrating capillary
endothelial cells. J Cell Biol. 1989;109:30273038.
29. Form D, Pratt B, Madri J. Endothelial cell proliferation during angiogenesis: in vitro modulation by basement membrane components. Lab Invest. 1986;55:521530.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
30. Madri J, Pratt B, Yannariello-Brown J. Matrix-driven cell size change modulates aortic endothelial cell proliferation and sheet migration. Am J Pathol. 1988;132:1827.[Abstract]
31. Graf H. Endothelial control of cell migration and proliferation. Eur Heart J. 1993, 14:183186.
32. Chiquet M, Matthisson M, Koch M, Tannheimer M, Chiquet-Ehrismann R. Regulation of extracellular matrix synthesis by mechanical stress. Biochem Cell Biol. 1996;74:737744.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
33.
Liaw L, Lindner V, Schwartz S, Chambers A, Giachelli C.
Osteopontin and beta 3 integrins are coordinately expressed in
regenerating endothelium in vivo and stimulate
Arg-Gly-Asp-dependent endothelial migration in vitro.
Circ Res. 1995;77:665672.
This article has been cited by other articles:
![]() |
A. Maehara, G. S. Mintz, A. B. Bui, O. R. Walter, M. T. Castagna, D. Canos, A. D. Pichard, L. F. Satler, R. Waksman, W. O. Suddath, et al. Morphologic and angiographic features of coronary plaque rupture detected by intravascular ultrasound J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., September 4, 2002; 40(5): 904 - 910. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF] |
||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
ATVB Home | Subscriptions | Archives | Feedback | Authors | Help | AHA Journals Home | Search Copyright © 1999 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use prohibited. |