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Review
. 2015 Jan;128(2):81-93.
doi: 10.1042/CS20140278.

Pericytes at the intersection between tissue regeneration and pathology

Alexander Birbrair, Tan Zhang  1 , Zhong-Min Wang  1 , Maria Laura Messi  1 , Akiva Mintz  2 , Osvaldo Delbono
Affiliations
Review

Pericytes at the intersection between tissue regeneration and pathology

Alexander Birbrair et al. Clin Sci (Lond). 2015 Jan.

Abstract

Perivascular multipotent cells, pericytes, contribute to the generation and repair of various tissues in response to injury. They are heterogeneous in their morphology, distribution, origin and markers, and elucidating their molecular and cellular differences may inform novel treatments for disorders in which tissue regeneration is either impaired or excessive. Moreover, these discoveries offer novel cellular targets for therapeutic approaches to many diseases. This review discusses recent studies that support the concept that pericyte subtypes play a distinctive role in myogenesis, neurogenesis, adipogenesis, fibrogenesis and angiogenesis.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Hypothetical diagram of the roles of pericyte subtypes in tissue formation
Two subpopulations of pericytes are associated with blood vessels: type 1 (yellow) and type 2 (green). Pericyte subtypes are oligopotent and their ability to differentiate is restricted.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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