Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2009 Mar;40(3 Suppl):S13-5.
doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.108.533117. Epub 2008 Dec 8.

Pericyte signaling in the neurovascular unit

Mark Fisher  1
Affiliations
Review

Pericyte signaling in the neurovascular unit

Mark Fisher. Stroke. 2009 Mar.

Abstract

Brain pericytes are intimately associated with capillary endothelial cells, separated only by basement membrane. Pericyte research has been hampered by absence of pericyte-specific immunochemical markers. The vast array of pericyte functions include contractility, immunologic, migratory, and angiogenic. Pericytes have stem cell potential, contribute to the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, and have a regulatory role for hemostasis in the brain. Improvement in pericyte identification is likely to lead to marked increase in appreciation of the role of pericytes in the neurovascular unit.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Immunoperoxidase staining of human pericytes from cell culture preparation, using rabbit anti-nestin antibody (Chemicon International, Temecula, CA; 1:200) and biotinylated secondary antibody (1:200). Original magnification X400.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cellular elements of the neurovascular unit, with the pericyte (P) sharing basement membrane (BM) with capillary endothelial cells (E), and astrocytes (A) ensheathing the capillary. Reproduced with permission by S. Karger AG from Reference 2.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Bovine pericytes, immunostained for smooth muscle actin, five hours after co-culture with bovine brain capillary-like structures in vitro. Most pericytes have rapidly migrated to the capillary-like structures, and some pericytes cover the surface. (X120) Reproduced from original publication, Reference 8.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Lai C-H, Kuo K-H. The critical component to establish in vitro BBB model: Pericyte. Brain Research Reviews. 2005;50:258–265. - PubMed
    1. Allt G, Lawrenson JG. Pericytes: Cell biology and pathology. Cells Tissues Organs. 2001;169:1–11. - PubMed
    1. Guillemin GJ, Brew BJ. Microglia, macrophages, perivascular macrophages, and periytes: a review of function and identification. J Leukocyte Biology. 2004;75:388–397. - PubMed
    1. Bondjers C, He L, Takemoto M, Norlin J, Asker N, Hellstrom M, Lindahl P, Betsholtz C. Microarray analysis of blood microvessels from PDGF-B and PDGF-Rβ mutant mice identifies novel markers for brain pericytes. FASEB J. 2006;20:E1005–1013. - PubMed
    1. McCarty JH. Cell biology of the neurovascular unit: Implications for drug delivery across the blood-brain barrier. Assay and Drug Development Technologies. 2005;3:89–95. - PubMed

Publication types