Interjunctional invasion of endothelial cell monolayers

Abstract

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the interjunctional invasion of endothelial cell monolayers. Endothelial monolayer invasion studies provide a means to address questions related to spirochetal dissemination in vitro . Endothelial monolayers are prepared by seeding polycarbonate filters or amnion with human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Use of polycarbonate filters mounted on chemotaxis chambers makes it possible to assess the intercellular junction integrity of the endothelial cell monolayer. Although the rate at which the monolayer becomes confluent is determined largely by seeding density and cell growth, the extent of intercellular junction formation is dependent on the condition of the endothelial cells in the monolayer and their passage number human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) that have been passaged more than five to seven times after isolation should not be used. The standard method for assessing intercellular junction integrity of endothelial cell monolayers is measurement of the transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER). TEER is an excellent measure of the ability of small ions such as sodium to move across the filter-monolayer barrier.