Characterization and comparison of embryonic stem cell-derived KDR+ cells with endothelial cells

Growing interest in utilizing endothelial cells (ECs) for therapeutic purposes has led to the exploration of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) as a potential source for endothelial progenitors. In this study, ECs were induced from hESC lines and their biological characteristics were analyzed and compared with both cord blood endothelial progenitor cells (CBEPCs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro. The results showed that isolated embryonic KDR+ cells (EC-KDR+) display characteristics that were similar to CBEPCs and HUVECs. EC-KDR+, CBEPCs and HUVECs all expressed CD31 and CD144, incorporated DiI-Ac-LDL, bound UEA1 lectin, and were able to form tube-like structures on Matrigel. Compared with CBEPCs and HUVECs, the expression level of endothelial progenitor cell markers such as CD133 and KDR in EC-KDR+ was significantly higher, while the mature endothelial marker vWF was lowly expressed in EC-KDR+. In summary, the study showed that EC-KDR+ are primitive endothelial-like progenitors and might be a potential source for therapeutic vascular regeneration and tissue engineering.