Functional characterization of the spontaneously transformed human umbilical vein endothelial cell line ECV304: use in an in vitro model of angiogenesis.

To gain insight into the role of the endothelial cell during the pathophysiology of the angiogenic response, investigators have isolated micro- and macrovascular endothelial cells from a wide range of both animal and human vessels, including the umbilical vein. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) isolated from umbilical cords remain a readily available and popular source of endothelial cell. However, the isolation and culture of these cells have several disadvantages, including the risk of infection, exogenous growth factor requirement, and low proliferative capacity. The heterogeneity of endothelial cells from different vascular beds as well as the heterogeneity between HUVEC isolates from different cords can make the critical interpretation of results difficult. ECV304 is a unique spontaneously transformed human umbilical vein endothelial cell line. In this report, the novel use of ECV304 cells as an alternative to HUVECs in an in vitro model of angiogenesis using the reconstituted basement membrane extract (Matrigel) was investigated. ECV304 cells were characterized immunohistochemically and their angiogenic behavior on Matrigel was analyzed functionally by phase-contrast, electron, and time-lapse video microscopy. ECV304 cells had several practical advantages over HUVEC culture and in contrast to HUVECs, ECV304 cells exhibited an enhanced and highly reproducible capacity for in vitro angiogenesis. However, several differentiated functions were lost or reduced in the ECV304 cell line which also exhibited anomalous cytokeratin expression. ECV304 cells may provide novel insights into the mechanisms governing angiogenesis under both normal physiological and pathological conditions.