Differential gene expression profile of human tonsil high endothelial cells: implications for lymphocyte trafficking

Lymphocyte recirculation is dependent on the interactions of adhesion and signaling molecules expressed on lymphocytes and their partners on high endothelial cells (HEC). Many of the events in this process have yet to be molecularly characterized. To identify novel HEC-specific proteins with potential function in the recruitment cascade, we sequenced a normalized human tonsil HEC cDNA library (generated from an inflamed tonsil) from which lymphocyte and human umbilical vein endothelial cell cDNAs had been subtracted. One-thousand forty-nine sequences were analyzed. All but three mapped to known cDNAs or genomic DNAs. The two most abundant transcripts encoded alpha2-macroglobulin and hevin. The next-abundant transcripts encoded several other protease inhibitors, making this protein class the most prominent in HEC. Several endothelial-specific transcripts were also identified, including those encoding E-selectin, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, vascular endothelial-junctional adhesion molecule, and platelet-endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1. The library contains a great diversity of transcripts, and studies of the encoded proteins will provide further insight into the complex biology of these specialized endothelial cells.