[Immunophenotypic analysis of human endothelial cells]

Very Little is known about the immunological attributes of human endothelial cells. In this study, we performed immunologic phenotypic analysis of cultured human dermal microvascular endothelial cells in comparison with human umbilical vein endothelial cells and examined the ability of various biologic response modifiers to alter the phenotypes. Using FACS analysis, both types of the cells appear to lack many of the cell surface markers of immunologically proficient cells, E.G. OKT4, OKT8, Leu7, FcIgG receptor, complement receptors, IL-2 receptor and HLA-Dr, but they possess beta 2-microglobulin and DAF. HLA-Dr antigens can be induced on both types of endothelial cells by gamma-IFN in a dose and time dependent manner. Both types of endothelial cells possess several kinds of Cell Adhesion Molecules (CAMs), such as ICAM-1, CD44, LFA-3, but not LFA-1 or CD2. ICAM-1 but not LFA-3 or CD44 can be upregulated by exposure of both types of endothelial cells to gamma-IFN, IL-1 and TNF. These data suggest that endothelial cells of the dermal microvasculature may play central roles in a variety of different cutaneous inflammation.