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Review
. 2015 Nov:138 Pt 1:26-36.
doi: 10.1016/j.mod.2015.07.001. Epub 2015 Jul 26.

Vascularisation of the central nervous system

Mathew Tata  1 , Christiana Ruhrberg  2 , Alessandro Fantin  3
Affiliations
Review

Vascularisation of the central nervous system

Mathew Tata et al. Mech Dev. 2015 Nov.

Abstract

The developing central nervous system (CNS) is vascularised through the angiogenic invasion of blood vessels from a perineural vascular plexus, followed by continued sprouting and remodelling until a hierarchical vascular network is formed. Remarkably, vascularisation occurs without perturbing the intricate architecture of the neurogenic niches or the emerging neural networks. We discuss the mouse hindbrain, forebrain and retina as widely used models to study developmental angiogenesis in the mammalian CNS and provide an overview of key cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating the vascularisation of these organs.

Keywords: GPCR; Neuropilin; Semaphorin; VEGF; WNT.

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Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic representation of CNS vascularisation. (A,B) Time course of blood vessel growth in the mouse embryo hindbrain (A) and postnatal retina (B). Neural progenitors are shown in orange, the non-remodelled vascular plexus in red, arteries in dark red and veins in blue; fibronectin-expressing astrocyte networks are shown in green. (C) Mechanisms of blood vessel growth in the CNS. Hypoxic neuroglial cells (orange) secrete angiogenic factors and extracellular matrix (ECM), indicated by a grey background gradient and as green strands, respectively. During angiogenesis, endothelial cells (red) undergo tip cell/stalk cell specialisation; tip cell convergence for vascular circuit formation is assisted by yolk sac-derived CNS tissue macrophages, also called microglia (blue). Arrows indicate the direction of tip cell migration. PNVP, perineural vascular plexus; SVP, subventricular vascular plexus; a, artery; v, vein.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Schematic illustration of the interaction between neuroglial cells, microglia and endothelial cells during CNS vascularisation. Below each cell type, we show examples of secreted factors, their transmembrane receptors and intracellular mediators known to play fundamental roles in neurovascular interactions. The grey box illustrates the relationship of VEGF family ligands and receptors in CNS angiogenesis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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