Immortalized Human Hepatic Sinusoidal Endothelial Cells – SV40

Hepatic Sinusoidal endothelial cells are microvascular endothelial cells with a phenotype resembling dendritic cells and a unique function as antigen-presenting cells for CD4+ T cells. These specialized cells are dynamic regulators of porosity responding rapidly to local environmental zonal stimuli during liver regeneration. Importantly, naive CD4+ T cells primed by antigen-presenting LSEC differentiate into regulatory T cells. Thus, LSEC represent a new type of organ-resident “non-professional” antigen-presenting cell that appears to be involved in the local control of the immune response and the induction of immune tolerance in the liver.