Expression profile of active genes in mouse lymph node high endothelial cells

High endothelial venules (HEV) allow rapid and selective lymphocyte trafficking from the blood into secondary lymphoid tissues. Here we report the expression profile of active genes in mouse high endothelial cells (HEC). HEC were first purified from mouse lymph nodes (LN) by magnetic cell sorting with MECA-79 mAb and a 3′-directed cDNA library that faithfully represents the composition of mRNA was constructed. A total of 1495 cDNA sequences were obtained from randomly selected clones. Based on their sequence identity, they were grouped into 754 different species [gene signatures (GS)] of which 335 GS were identified in GenBank. Among the previously identified genes, expression of several endothelial cell surface molecules including endoglin and ICAM-1 was detected in HEC. Comparison of the gene expression profile with that of purified CD31+ flat endothelial cells identified several molecules, such as KC chemokine and Duffy antigen/receptor for chemokines, that are known to be selectively expressed in activated endothelial cells or post-capillary venules. Interestingly, mac25/TAF, which is known to be expressed specifically in tumor vessels and implicated in the regulation of cell adhesion, was highly and selectively expressed in HEC in mouse LN, suggesting that it may participate in regulating HEC-specific functions. Comparison with the expression profiles obtained from 35 different cell types showed at least 22 GS that were apparently specific to HEC. Our results illustrate the expression differences between HEC and CD31+ flat endothelial cells, and will be useful for the identification and characterization of genes specific for HEC.