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Evidence for the migration of rat aortic endothelial cells toward the heart
W B Kiosses1, N H McKee, V I Kalnins
1Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Insights
Vascular endothelial cells in rat aortas migrate toward the heart. This study tracked labeled cells, confirming directional movement and suggesting potential implications for vascular health and diseases like atherosclerosis.
Area of Science:
- Vascular Biology
- Cell Migration
- Endothelial Cell Function
Background:
- Endothelial cells in wounded tissues orient centrosomes towards migration direction.
- Endothelial cells in non-wounded aorta and vena cava also show heartward centrosome orientation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the hypothesis that endothelial cells normally migrate toward the heart.
- To investigate the in vivo migration patterns of aortic endothelial cells.
Main Methods:
- Labeling rat abdominal aorta endothelial cells with 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI).
- Tracking the position of labeled cells at 3 and 6 weeks post-labeling.
Main Results:
- DiI-labeled endothelial cells migrated up to 5000 microns toward the heart in 6/9 aortas at 3 weeks and 15/20 aortas at 6 weeks.
- No significant migration was detected away from the heart.
Conclusions:
- Vascular endothelial cells in the rat abdominal aorta exhibit directed migration toward the heart.
- The functional significance of this heartward migration is unknown but may be relevant to vascular diseases such as atherosclerosis.
Abstract:
Most vascular endothelial cells at the edge of experimentally induced wounds have their centrosomes oriented toward the wound in the direction of cell migration. The finding that the centrosomes in endothelial cells of non-wounded aorta and vena cava are also oriented toward the heart suggested the hypothesis that endothelial cells are normally migrating in this direction. To test this hypothesis, endothelial cells in a segment of the rat abdominal aorta were labeled with a relatively nontoxic dye, 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI), and the position of the labeled cells was determined 3 and 6 weeks later. The results obtained showed that in 6 of the 9 rat aortas examined at 3 weeks and 15 of the 20 rat aortas examined at 6 weeks, DiI-labeled endothelial cells had migrated various distances up to 5000 microns toward the heart. In contrast, no migration of endothelial cells was detected at the opposite end of the labeled segment, in the direction away from the heart. These results demonstrate that vascular endothelial cells in the abdominal aorta of the rat are not stationary but are migrating toward the heart. The significance of the migration of endothelial cells toward the heart is presently unknown; however, it would be interesting to explore whether or not the impairment of this migration may contribute to disease processes in which the ability to maintain an intact and normally functioning endothelial cell lining is compromised as in atherosclerosis.