Contact-mediated and humoral communication between vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells in vitro

Conference · Sat Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1986 · Fed. Proc., Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5072503

Davies, P F

Vascular endothelial cells (EC) and smooth muscle cells (SMC) co-exist in close apposition to each other in all blood vessels except capillaries. Investigations of the metabolic interactions that may occur between these cells are essential to an understanding of vascular homeostasis and the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. The authors have developed two in vitro models of co-temporal vascular cell communication. The first facilitates reversible microcarrier-mediated gap junctional communication between EC and SMC monolayers. When either EC or SMC were prelabelled with /sup 3/H-uridine, intracellular nucleotide rapidly transferred across the region of heterocellular attachment to the complementary cell population. Cytoplasmic continuity between EC and SMC allowed metabolic cooperation via ions and small molecules (<1.5 KD). Thus, vascular reactivity, particularly in the microcirculation where myoendothelial gap junctions have been observed, may involve cytoplasmic second messengers transported from EC to SMC. In the second model, humoral communication was established between separated cultures of EC and SMC which shared the same culture medium. Endothelial-specific stimulation of SMC growth and lipoprotein metabolism via soluble factors was demonstrated. Two mechanisms of stimulation of SMC lipoprotein metabolism were identified; one endothelial derived mitogen-dependent, the other mitogen-independent which was mediated via low molecular weight endothelial cell products.

• Research Organization: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
• OSTI ID: 5072503
• Report Number(s): CONF-8604222-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Fed. Proc., Fed. Am. Soc. Exp. Biol.; (United States) Journal Volume: 45:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550901* -- Pathology-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANIMAL TISSUES
ARTERIOSCLEROSIS
AZINES
BIOLOGICAL MODELS
BLOOD CIRCULATION
BLOOD VESSELS
BODY
CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
DISEASES
ENDOTHELIUM
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HOMEOSTASIS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
IN VITRO
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LIPIDS
LIPOPROTEINS
METABOLISM
MOLECULAR WEIGHT
MUSCLES
NUCLEOSIDES
NUCLEOTIDES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PATHOGENESIS
PROTEINS
PYRIMIDINES
RIBOSIDES
TISSUES
TRACER TECHNIQUES
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
URACILS
URIDINE
VASCULAR DISEASES