Liver Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells Escape Senescence by Loss of p19ARF

PLoS One. 2015 Nov 3;10(11):e0142134. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142134. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) represent a highly differentiated cell type that lines hepatic sinusoids. LSECs form a discontinuous endothelium due to fenestrations under physiological conditions, which are reduced upon chronic liver injury. Cultivation of rodent LSECs associates with a rapid onset of stress-induced senescence a few days post isolation, which limits genetic and biochemical studies ex vivo. Here we show the establishment of LSECs isolated from p19ARF-/- mice which undergo more than 50 cell doublings in the absence of senescence. Isolated p19ARF-/- LSECs display a cobblestone-like morphology and show the ability of tube formation. Analysis of DNA content revealed a stable diploid phenotype after long-term passaging without a gain of aneuploidy. Notably, p19ARF-/- LSECs express the endothelial markers CD31, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR)-2, VE-cadherin, von Willebrand factor, stabilin-2 and CD146 suggesting that these cells harbor and maintain an endothelial phenotype. In line, treatment with small molecule inhibitors against VEGFR-2 caused cell death, demonstrating the sustained ability of p19ARF-/- LSECs to respond to anti-angiogenic therapeutics. From these data we conclude that loss of p19ARF overcomes senescence of LSECs, allowing immortalization of cells without losing endothelial characteristics. Thus, p19ARF-/- LSECs provide a novel cellular model to study endothelial cell biology.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antigens, Differentiation / biosynthesis*
  • Antigens, Differentiation / genetics
  • Cell Line
  • Cellular Senescence / genetics*
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / genetics*
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / metabolism
  • Endothelial Cells / cytology
  • Endothelial Cells / metabolism*
  • Liver / cytology
  • Liver / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Knockout

Substances

  • Antigens, Differentiation
  • Cdkn2a protein, mouse
  • Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16

Grants and funding

People Programme (Marie Curie Actions) of the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme, Spain (FP7/2007–2013) under Research Executive Agency Grant agreement no. PITN-GA-2012-316549-(IT-LIVER) to WM. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.