The expression of E-selectin on N. meningitidis-infected endothelium was more spatially heterogeneous than on the TNFα-inflamed one, although there no direct spatial connection with bacterial adhesion (Figure 6—figure supplement 1A and B), suggesting a spatial cell-to-cell heterogeneity in endothelial cell response upon infection, which correlates with in vivo observations (Manriquez et al., 2021). Here, TNF is linked to infection.