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Gene expression in immortalized versus primary isolated cardiac endothelial cells
Lisa Deng1, Luisa Pollmeier1, Qian Zhou2
1Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
Scientific Reports
|February 12, 2020
Summary
Primary cardiac endothelial cells are better for gene expression studies than immortalized cell lines. Immortalized cells show altered gene expression, impacting their suitability for epigenetic and transcriptomic research.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Endothelial cells are crucial for heart and vascular functions, with gene expression dictating their behavior.
- In vitro cell lines offer scalability for epigenetic analyses, aiding the study of endothelial cell biology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the transcriptomes of immortalized mouse cardiac endothelial cells (MCEC) with primary cardiac endothelial cells (pEC).
- To assess the suitability of MCEC for transcriptomic and epigenetic studies.
Main Methods:
- Whole transcriptome sequencing was performed on MCEC and pEC.
- Gene expression profiles were compared between the two cell types.
Main Results:
- Overall transcriptome correlation between MCEC and pEC was 0.75-0.77.
- Gene expression correlation decreased for endothelial cell-specific genes.
- MCEC showed downregulation of endothelial differentiation markers and functions, with upregulation of mitotic cell cycle genes compared to pEC.
Conclusions:
- Primary cardiac endothelial cells are preferred for genome-wide transcriptome and epigenome studies.
- The utility of in vitro endothelial cell lines for specific gene or pathway research requires careful validation.
