Immortalized Human Lymphatic Endothelial Cells-SV40

Further Characterization of Immortalized Human Lymphatic Endothelial Cells to Explore Their Transcriptomic Profile and VEGFC Response

In lymphatic research, human dermal lymphatic endothelial cells (HDLECs) represent the “gold standard”, even though they lose their identity and proliferative capacity over time. A recently established immortalized lymphatic endothelial cell line (imLEC) could become a promising new tool for lymphatic disease modelling. Ogmen, Kazim and colleagues further characterized this cell line by comparing imLECs and HDLECs in terms of the expression of proteins essential for correct lymphatic function, and the proliferation, migration and sprouting responses to vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGFC).

The results demonstrated that the long-term expression of lymphatic endothelial markers, including EPHB4, FOXC2 and ERG, proteins also associated with Primary Lymphatic Anomalies (PLA), can be sustained in imLECs. Furthermore, VEGFC induces proliferative and migratory responses in imLECs, albeit significant responses were also observed even at basal conditions (in the absence of VEGFC). Importantly, imLECs survive longer in vitro without reaching senescence compared to HDLECs, and with VEGFC responsiveness sustained even at late passages (over five months in culture). Finally, RNA-sequencing shows high levels of correlation but slightly different PLA-associated gene transcription signatures in imLECs and HDLECs. They conclude that the suitability of imLECs for in vitro experimentation investigating single genes or signaling pathways in the context of VEGFC stimulation is promising.