1. Protein Transport in Cerebral Endothelium.
- Author
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Walker, John M., Nag, Sukriti, Fenart, Laurence, and Cecchelli, Roméo
- Abstract
Brain capillary endothelial cells forming the blood-brain barrier (BBB) are sealed by complex tight junctions and possess few pinocytotic vesicles. These characteristics, added to a metabolic barrier, restrict the passage of most small polar molecules and macromolecules from cerebrovascular circulation to the brain. Many endothelial functions that include the diffusion or transport barrier of brain microvessels have been defined by studies in whole animals and in isolated capillaries in vitro. The ability to grow central nervous system microvascular endothelial cells in culture has opened the door to many new experimental approaches for studying the transendothelial transport of substances across the in vitro BBB. However, several lines of evidence suggest that cultured brain endothelial cells rapidly lose the characteristics of a differentiated BBB in vitro (1). Furthermore, Risau and Wolburg (2) suggested that long-term cultures of brain endothelial cells may not provide a good model system for the BBB in vitro. Nevertheless, we have described subcultures up to the 50th generation of bovine brain capillary endothelial cells (BBCECs) that maintain both endothelial and some of the BBB markers (tight junctions, low rate of pinocytosis, and monoamine oxidase activity but a loss of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase activity) (3). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2003
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