Rhesus macaque brain microvessel endothelial cells behave in a manner phenotypically distinct from umbilical vein endothelial cells

Activation of endothelium is a critical step in leukocyte recruitment to th e CNS and in development of neurological diseases, such as HIV-associated d ementia. Due to limited availability of early disease course data, it is im portant to develop in vitro models of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) that ca n be used to address these early events. No such model of the BBB has been established for the macaque. Here, we characterize rhesus microvascular bra in endothelial cells (MBEC), comparing them with rhesus umbilical vein endo thelial cells (RUVEC), and discuss their suitability for future use in deve loping in vitro models of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) neuropathogen esis. We conclude that MBEC are distinct from RUVEC with respect to growth characteristics, culture requirements, morphology and expression of surface molecules important for leukocyte adhesion and immune activation. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.