Endothelial Cell Secretome Alterations Induced by Inflammatory Stress

Abstract Endothelial cells detect pathogens through pattern recognition receptors, such as Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), which triggers the synthesis and secretion of molecules that initiate the innate immune response. Proteins bearing signal peptides are secreted through the classical endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–Golgi-dependent route, whereas select signal-peptide-lacking proteins are secreted via less well-characterized ER–Golgi-independent mechanisms, collectively termed unconventional protein secretion (UcPS). To systematically characterize the secretome of human umbilical vein-derived endothelial cells (HUVECs) and delineate the contribution of UcPS, we performed deep quantitative proteomics on HUVEC lysates and conditioned medium before and after TLR4 stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Of 5205 proteins detected in either fraction, 381 were enriched in the conditioned medium and therefore classified as secreted. Of these, 302 proteins (79.3%) were secreted via the conventional pathway, and 79 (20.7%) lacked a signal peptide and were classified as candidate UcPS cargos. Predicted functions of UcPS-secreted proteins include redox regulation, proteostasis, cytoskeletal remodeling, and innate immune signaling. We confirmed that α-globin (HBA1), which functions as a redox sensor and regulator of nitric oxide in endothelial cells, is secreted constitutively by UcPS and at higher levels following inflammatory activation. Notably, candidate UcPS cargo identity showed poor concordance with current computational predictors, underscoring the need for empirical datasets. Overall, our findings suggest that the HUVEC secretome includes both conventionally and unconventionally secreted proteins that regulate coagulation, angiogenesis, and immune function. Our findings establish a high-quality secretome dataset for HUVECs, providing a novel resource for future efforts to define the molecular determinants governing UcPS cargo selection and trafficking related to endothelial cell function.