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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 July 2020
Tissue Factor Pathway Inhibitor (TFPI) is a potent inhibitor of the extrinsic coagulation system, synthesized in endothelial cells. Membrane bound TFPI has recently been shown to play an important role in the degradation of activated coagulation factors in the endothelium. Comparison of subcellular TFPI localization patterns and TFPI production between Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC) and an immortalized cell line (ECV 304) are presented here, as are the essential protocol modifications that we used to obtain labeling results by both light- and electron microscopy. We show that ECV 304 cells are similar to HUVEC in that TFPI is present in the Golgi complex (fig. 1) as well as in the endocytic pathway of ECV cells. Additionally, they secrete higher levels of TFPI into the culture medium than HUVEC. A colocalization of anti-TFPI with endocytosed BSA-gold, as well as with accumulated DAMP, demonstrated the presence of TFPI in the endocytic pathway.