Single cell RNA-seq analysis of endothelial cells (HUVEC) treated with IL1b and TGFb2 as a model of endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT)

Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is a dynamic biological process involved in pathological vascular remodeling. However, the molecular mechanisms that govern this transition remain largely unknown. To study EndMT in vitro, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were treated with transforming growth factor-β2 and interleukin-1β, leading to a decrease of endothelial markers as well as an increase of mesenchymal markers and EndMT regulators after 7 days. Single-cell RNA-seq was carried out to study the dynamics of the transition. Single-cell RNA-sequencing were performed in untreated and treated (IL1b+TGFb2) HUVEC at 0, 3 and 7 days using 10X Genomics.