Thanabalasundaram Gokulan, El-Gindi Jehad, Lischper Mira, Galla Hans-Joachim
Institute of Biochemistry, Westfälische Wilhelms Universität Münster, Münster, Germany.
Methods Mol Biol. 2011;686:379-99. doi: 10.1007/978-1-60761-938-3_19.
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) comprises the microvascular endothelial cells, pericytes, and astrocytes, which are connected by the extracellular matrix (ECM). Current BBB models focus solely on the microvascular endothelial cells which constitute a physical barrier by formation of tight junctions (TJs), while the impact of pericytes on barrier regulation is poorly understood. We established a coculture model from primary porcine brain capillary endothelial cells (PBCECs) and pericytes (PBCPs) to approach the in vivo situation. This model allows the examination of pericyte impact on pharmacological, transport, migration, and metabolic activity of the BBB. In vivo the interaction between pericytes and endothelial cells is partly controlled by the ECM which is remodeled by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Both endothelial cells and pericytes secrete MMPs which are important not only for ECM remodeling but also for TJ cleavage. In this chapter, current methods to study the interactions of these cell types by ECM signaling as well as MMP secretion are described.
血脑屏障（BBB）由微血管内皮细胞、周细胞和星形胶质细胞组成，它们通过细胞外基质（ECM）相连。当前的血脑屏障模型仅关注微血管内皮细胞，这些细胞通过形成紧密连接（TJ）构成物理屏障，而周细胞对屏障调节的影响却知之甚少。我们从原代猪脑毛细血管内皮细胞（PBCEC）和周细胞（PBCP）建立了共培养模型，以接近体内情况。该模型允许研究周细胞对血脑屏障的药理学、转运、迁移和代谢活性的影响。在体内，周细胞与内皮细胞之间的相互作用部分由基质金属蛋白酶（MMP）重塑的ECM控制。内皮细胞和周细胞都分泌MMP，MMP不仅对ECM重塑很重要，而且对TJ裂解也很重要。在本章中，描述了通过ECM信号以及MMP分泌来研究这些细胞类型相互作用的当前方法。
