Blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) as a novel tool for studying adhesion of Plasmodium falciparum-infected erythrocytes

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0204177
• Publication Date: 2018-10-09T13:36:04Z
• Authors: Gertrude Ecklu-Me...; Rebecca W. Olsen; Anja Bengtsson; Michael F. Ofori; Lars Hviid; Anja T. R. Jensen; Yvonne Adams
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Erythrocytes; Science; Thrombomodulin; Plasmodium falciparum; Cell Culture Techniques; CHO Cells; Cell Line; 03 medical and health sciences; Cricetulus; Cell Adhesion; Animals; Humans; Malaria, Falciparum; Child; Q; R; Endothelial Cells; Endothelial Protein C Receptor; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1; 3. Good health; Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; Child, Preschool; Antigens, Surface; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Medicine; Research Article

The lack of suitable animal models for the study of cytoadhesion of P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes (IEs) has necessitated in vitro studies employing a range of cell lines of either human tumour origin (e.g., BeWo and C32 cells) or non-human origin (e.g., CHO cells). Of the human cells available, many were isolated from adults, or derived from a pool of donors (e.g., HBEC-5i). Here we demonstrate, for the first time, the successful isolation of blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) from frozen stabilates of peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from small-volume peripheral blood samples from paediatric malaria patients. BOECs are a sub-population of human endothelial cells, found within the peripheral blood. We demonstrate that these cells express receptors such as Intercellular Adhesion Molecule 1 (ICAM-1/CD54), Endothelial Protein C Receptor (EPCR/CD201), platelet/endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM-1/CD31), Thrombomodulin (CD141), and support adhesion of P. falciparum IEs.