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(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2006;26:69.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Vascular Biology

Transcriptional Profiles of Valvular and Vascular Endothelial Cells Reveal Phenotypic Differences

Influence of Shear Stress

Jonathan T. Butcher; Sarah Tressel; Tiffany Johnson; Debi Turner; George Sorescu; Hanjoong Jo; Robert M. Nerem

From the Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (J.T.B., T.J., R.M.N.) and Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering (J.T.B., R.M.N.), Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta; Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering (S.T., G.S., H.J.), and Division of Cardiology, Georgia Tech and Emory University, Atlanta; and Cardiovascular Developmental Biology Center (J.T.B., D.T.), Children’s Research Institute, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston.

Correspondence to Robert M. Nerem, Petit Institute for Bioengineering and BioscienceIBB, 315 Ferst Dr, Atlanta, GA 30332 (E-mail Robert.nerem{at}ibb.gatech.edu); or Janjoong Jo, PhD, Associate Professor, Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering at Georgia Tech and Emory University, 308D Woodruff Memorial Building, 1639 Pierce Dr, Atlanta, GA 30322-4600 (E-mail hanjoong.jo@bme.gatech.edu)

Objective— The similarities between valvular and vascular lesions suggest pathological initiation mediated through endothelium, but the role of hemodynamics in valvular endothelial biology is poorly understood.

Methods and Results— Monolayers of porcine aortic endothelial cells (PAECs) or porcine aortic valve endothelial cells (PAVECs) were exposed to 20 dyne/cm² steady laminar shear stress for 48 hours, with static cultures serving as controls. Multiple microarray comparisons were made using RNA from sheared and control batches of both cell types. More than 400 genes were significantly differentially expressed in each comparison group. The resulting profiles were validated at the transcription and protein level and expression patterns confirmed in vivo by immunohistochemistry. PAVECs were found to be less intrinsically inflammatory than PAECs, but both cell types expressed similar antioxidant and antiinflammatory genes in response to shear stress. PAVECs expressed more genes associated with chondrogenesis, whereas PAECs expressed osteogenic genes, and shear stress had a protective effect against calcification.

Conclusions— Transcriptional differences between PAVECs and PAECs highlight the valvular endothelial cell as a distinct organ system and suggest more attention needs to be given to valvular cells to further our understanding of similarities and differences between valvular and vascular pathology.

Aortic and aortic valve endothelial cell gene expression was compared in static and steady shear environments. Transcriptional profiles suggested that valvular endothelial cells are similar in some respects but distinct in other ways that may have important implications for the understanding of valvular pathology and therapeutic strategies.

Key Words: aortic valve • shear stress • inflammation • calcification • endothelial cell

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