Modulation of the sis gene transcript during endothelial cell differentiation in vitro.

Endothelial cells, which line the interior walls of blood vessels, proliferate at the site of blood vessel injury. Knowledge of the factors that control the proliferation of these cells would help elucidate the role of endothelial cells in wound healing, tumor growth, and arteriosclerosis. In vitro, endothelial cells organize into viable, three-dimensional tubular structures in environments that limit cell proliferation. The process of endothelial cell organization was found to result in decreased levels of the sis messenger RNA transcript and increased levels of the messenger RNA transcript for fibronectin. This situation was reversed on transition from the organized structure to a proliferative monolayer. These results suggest a reciprocity for two biological response modifiers involved in the regulation of endothelial cell proliferation and differentiation in vitro.