Supplemental Material for: ENDOTHELIAL CELLS CONTRIBUTE TO THE IMMUNE-VASCULAR MILIEU CHARACTERIZING VETC+ HCC

This architecture correlates with poor prognosis and enhanced sensitivity to anti‑angiogenic therapies.<b> </b>To dissect the morphological, phenotypical, molecular, and functional programs that define VETC associated ECs in HCC and to identify endothelial pathways potentially driving VETC vascular organization and tumor progression.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Methods.</b> Biological samples (blood, plasma, PBMCs, and tissue) were collected from VETC+ and VETC- HCCs.

Quantitative tissue imaging was integrated with EC-specific molecular profiling. Vascular architecture was assessed on whole-slide images, and purified tumor ECs underwent targeted and transcriptome-wide gene expression analyses.</p><p dir="ltr"><b>Results.</b> ECs from both VETC+ and VETC- HCCs lacked pro-growth and anti-apoptotic features. VETC+ ECs show overexpression of pro-angiogenic and immune-modulatory factors, in particular VEGFA, FGF and IL10, and a specific gene signature involved in metabolic reprogramming, increased trafficking and migratory capacity.