Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 10, 2026

Quantitation of Endothelial Cell Adhesiveness In Vitro
10:24

Quantitation of Endothelial Cell Adhesiveness In Vitro

Published on: June 18, 2015

Endothelial cell-derived foam cells fail to express adhesion molecules (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1) for monocytes

E Constantinescu1, D Alexandru, V Alexandru

  • 1Institute of Cellular Biology and Pathology N. Simionescu, Bucharest, Romania. econstantinescu@simionescu.instcellbiopath.ro

Journal of Submicroscopic Cytology and Pathology
|November 21, 2000
PubMed

Insights

Endothelial cell-derived foam cells, crucial in advanced atherosclerosis, do not express ICAM-1 or VCAM-1, significantly reducing monocyte adhesion. This finding offers a new model for studying atherosclerosis progression.

Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Immunology
  • Cardiovascular Research

Background:

  • Atherosclerosis involves endothelial dysfunction and lipid accumulation.
  • Cell adhesion molecules like ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 play roles in early atherosclerotic lesion development.
  • Endothelial cell-derived foam cells are characteristic of advanced atherosclerotic plaques.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in cultured endothelial cell-derived foam cells.
  • To evaluate the adhesion properties of these foam cells for monocytes.

Main Methods:

  • Hamster aortic endothelial cells (HAEC) were cultured and exposed to hypercholesterolemic or normal serum.
  • Foam cell formation was induced by hypercholesterolemic serum.
  • Indirect immunofluorescence was used to assess ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression.
  • Monocyte adhesion assays were performed using freshly isolated hamster monocytes.

Main Results:

  • HAEC exposed to hypercholesterolemic serum formed foam cells with numerous lipid droplets.
  • Normal HAEC expressed low levels of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1.
  • HAEC-derived foam cells showed no detectable expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1.
  • Monocyte adhesion to HAEC-derived foam cells was significantly reduced compared to normal HAEC.

Conclusions:

  • Endothelial cell-derived foam cells lack surface expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1.
  • These foam cells exhibit minimal to no adhesion capacity for monocytes.
  • This experimental model provides insights into cellular changes in advanced atherosclerosis stages.

More Related Videos

Quantification of Monocyte Transmigration and Foam Cell Formation from Individuals with Chronic Inflammatory Conditions09:41

Quantification of Monocyte Transmigration and Foam Cell Formation from Individuals with Chronic Inflammatory Conditions

Published on: October 17, 2017

Simultaneous Study of the Recruitment of Monocyte Subpopulations Under Flow In Vitro09:16

Simultaneous Study of the Recruitment of Monocyte Subpopulations Under Flow In Vitro

Published on: November 26, 2018

Related Concept Videos

Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions01:17

Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions

Integrins act both as extracellular input receivers and as intracellular processing activators. As their name suggests, integrins are entirely integrated into the membrane structure. Their hydrophobic membrane-spanning regions interact with the phospholipid bilayer's hydrophobic region. These membrane receptors provide extracellular attachment sites for effectors like hormones and growth factors. They activate intracellular response cascades when their effectors are bound and active.
Some...
Adherens Junctions01:24

Adherens Junctions

Strong contact points between adjacent cells anchor them to each other, forming tissues. Such anchoring junctions are of two types –  adherens junctions and desmosomes. Adherens junctions are abundant in tissues such as  epithelium and endothelium, forming a continuous zone of adhesion called the adhesion belt. In other tissues, such as  heart muscle, they appear as clusters, linking the cells to produce coordinated heart muscle contraction.
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
The endothelial cells...
Cell Adhesion Molecules - Types and Functions01:20

Cell Adhesion Molecules - Types and Functions

Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are pivotal to multicellularity and the coordinated functioning of tissues and organ systems. They enable physical interactions between cells and provide mechanical strength to tissues. They also function as receptors for signal transmission across the plasma membrane. The CAMs are broadly classified into four families - integrins, cadherins, selectins, and immunoglobulin-like CAMs (IgCAMs).
CAM Families
The Integrin family of proteins is primarily  involved in a...
Selectins01:25

Selectins

Cell adhesion is  an essential aspect of multicellularity. While stable cell interactions usually occur between cells of the same type, transient cell interactions occur between cells of different tissue types, such as between neutrophils and endothelial cells. Selectins are one class of cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) that bind carbohydrate ligands to form transient cell adhesion. They are rod-like proteins with a long extracellular part of variable length ending with the lectin domain, which...
Immunoglobulin-like Cell Adhesion Molecules01:31

Immunoglobulin-like Cell Adhesion Molecules

Immunoglobulin-like cell adhesion molecules or Ig-CAMs are a versatile group of cell surface glycoproteins belonging to the immunoglobulin protein superfamily. Ig-CAMs possess the characteristic immunoglobulin protein domains and other domains such as the fibronectin type III domain. The Ig domains are glycosylated to varying degrees in different Ig-CAMs.
Ig-CAMs exhibit either homophilic binding (to other Ig-CAMs) or heterophilic binding (to other ligands such as integrins). While most Ig-CAMs...
Cell Adhesion Molecules - Types and Functions01:20

Cell Adhesion Molecules - Types and Functions

Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) are pivotal to multicellularity and the coordinated functioning of tissues and organ systems. They enable physical interactions between cells and provide mechanical strength to tissues. They also function as receptors for signal transmission across the plasma membrane. The CAMs are broadly classified into four families - integrins, cadherins, selectins, and immunoglobulin-like CAMs (IgCAMs).
CAM Families
The Integrin family of proteins is primarily  involved in a...