GPNMB and infection: Therefore, to investigate the role of GPNMB during infection-mediated endothelial inflammation, we utilized human microvascular endothelial cells (HMVECs) with or without GPNMB knockdown (siGPNMB) and exposed them to heat-killed Escherichia coli (HKEC), one of the most common pathogens associated with sepsis.