differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells into endothelial cells

objective: in this investigation murine embryonic stem (es) cells were differentiated into endothelial cells. materials and methods: murine es cells (cce cell line) exposed to alpha-mem medium containing 10% fbs for 4 days. then obtained flk-1 (flk-1: vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2) positive cells were cultuted in endothelial growth medium-2 (egm-2) until the last day of experiment. differentiated cells were evaluated by immunocytochemistry, rt-pcr and tube formation assays. results: when the es cells cultured in collagen coated dishes containing alpha-mem & fbs, flk-1 positive cells were obtained. after transfering flk-1 positive cells into fibronectin coated dishes containing egm2, the cells were assumed a relatively uniform endothelial cell morphology and could be propagated and expanded. immunocytochemical and rt-pcr analysis of differentiated cells showed that they take up acetylated low-density lipoprotein (ldl), express flk-1, cd31 and bind the bs-l lectin. when placed in matrigel, these murine es cell–derived endothelial cells formed capillary-like structures characteristic of endothelial cells conclusion: es cell–derived endothelial cells provide a novel means to examine the mechanisms of endothelial cell development, and may open up new therapeutic strategies.