Skip to Content
Merck
  • Monocytes as Endothelial Progenitor Cells (EPCs), Another Brick in the Wall to Disentangle Tumor Angiogenesis.

Monocytes as Endothelial Progenitor Cells (EPCs), Another Brick in the Wall to Disentangle Tumor Angiogenesis.

Cells (2020-01-08)
Filipa Lopes-Coelho, Fernanda Silva, Sofia Gouveia-Fernandes, Carmo Martins, Nuno Lopes, Germana Domingues, Catarina Brito, António M Almeida, Sofia A Pereira, Jacinta Serpa
ABSTRACT

Bone marrow contains endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) that, upon pro-angiogenic stimuli, migrate and differentiate into endothelial cells (ECs) and contribute to re-endothelialization and neo-vascularization. There are currently no reliable markers to characterize EPCs, leading to their inaccurate identification. In the past, we showed that, in a panel of tumors, some cells on the vessel wall co-expressed CD14 (monocytic marker) and CD31 (EC marker), indicating a putative differentiation route of monocytes into ECs. Herein, we disclosed monocytes as potential EPCs, using in vitro and in vivo models, and also addressed the cancer context. Monocytes acquired the capacity to express ECs markers and were able to be incorporated into blood vessels, contributing to cancer progression, by being incorporated in tumor neo-vasculature. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) push monocytes to EC differentiation, and this phenotype is reverted by cysteine (a scavenger and precursor of glutathione), which indicates that angiogenesis is controlled by the interplay between the oxidative stress and the scavenging capacity of the tumor microenvironment.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Sigma-Aldrich
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor human, VEGF, recombinant, expressed in E. coli, powder, suitable for cell culture
Sigma-Aldrich
Gelatin from porcine skin, powder, gel strength ~300 g Bloom, Type A, BioReagent, suitable for electrophoresis, suitable for cell culture
Sigma-Aldrich
Lipopolysaccharides from Escherichia coli O55:B5, purified by phenol extraction
Sigma-Aldrich
Bovine Serum Albumin, heat shock fraction, pH 7, ≥98%
Sigma-Aldrich
Histopaque®-1077, sterile-filtered, density: 1.077 g/mL
Sigma-Aldrich
Anti-Fibronectin 1 antibody produced in rabbit, affinity isolated antibody
Sigma-Aldrich
Tetraethylthiuram disulfide, ≥97.0% (S)
Sigma-Aldrich
Heparin sodium salt from porcine intestinal mucosa, Grade I-A, ≥180 USP units/mg, powder, BioReagent, suitable for cell culture
Sigma-Aldrich
Oleoyl-L-α-lysophosphatidic acid sodium salt, ≥98%, solid