Immortalized Mouse Cardiac Endothelial Cell (MCEC) Line

The mouse cardiac endothelial cell (MCEC) line was prepared from microvascular neonatal mouse cardiac endothelial cells by transfection with lentiviral vectors carrying SV40 T antigen and human telomerase. This cell line grows indefinitely, exhibits contact inhibition, displays normal endothelial characteristics and cellular markers, and possesses tight intercellular junctions. The MCEC line is unusually receptive to both transient and stable transfection and thus provides an excellent in vitro model for evaluation of effects on endothelial physiology of specific genetic additions or deletions. It is very unusual for endothelial cells to grow indefinitely while maintaining stable, normal endothelial characteristics, and furthermore, to be easily transfectable at high efficiency with simple transfection techniques. The MCEC line is ideal for studies of endothelial cell physiology, drug development, investigation of mechanisms of endothelial injury and protection therefrom, studies of vascular permeability, toxicity, cell-cell interactions, inflammation, wound healing, cancer therapy, and angiogenesis.