Pharmacology and Cell Physiology Research Group, Division of Biomedical Sciences, St. George's, University of London, London, United Kingdom.
J Cell Mol Med. 2012 Nov;16(11):2802-12. doi: 10.1111/j.1582-4934.2012.01609.x.
Vascular interstitial cells (VICs) are non-contractile cells with filopodia previously described in healthy blood vessels of rodents and their function remains unknown. The objective of this study was to identify VICs in human arteries and to ascertain their role. VICs were identified in the wall of human gastro-omental arteries using transmission electron microscopy. Isolated VICs showed ability to form new and elongate existing filopodia and actively change body shape. Most importantly sprouting VICs were also observed in cell dispersal. RT-PCR performed on separately collected contractile vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and VICs showed that both cell types expressed the gene for smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (SM-MHC). Immunofluorescent labelling showed that both VSMCs and VICs had similar fluorescence for SM-MHC and αSM-actin, VICs, however, had significantly lower fluorescence for smoothelin, myosin light chain kinase, h-calponin and SM22α. It was also found that VICs do not have cytoskeleton as rigid as in contractile VSMCs. VICs express number of VSMC-specific proteins and display features of phenotypically modulated VSMCs with increased migratory abilities. VICs, therefore represent resident phenotypically modulated VSMCs that are present in human arteries under normal physiological conditions.
血管间质细胞（VICs）是一种非收缩性细胞，其具有丝状伪足，先前在啮齿动物的健康血管中已有描述，但它们的功能尚不清楚。本研究的目的是鉴定人动脉中的 VICs，并确定其功能。使用透射电子显微镜在人胃-肠系膜动脉的壁中鉴定出 VICs。分离的 VICs显示出形成新的和延长现有的丝状伪足以及主动改变身体形状的能力。最重要的是，在细胞分散中也观察到了发芽的 VICs。分别收集的收缩型血管平滑肌细胞（VSMCs）和 VICs 上进行的 RT-PCR 显示，这两种细胞类型均表达平滑肌肌球蛋白重链（SM-MHC）的基因。免疫荧光标记显示，VSMCs 和 VICs 均具有相似的 SM-MHC 和 αSM-肌动蛋白荧光，然而，VICs 的 smoothelin、肌球蛋白轻链激酶、h-钙调蛋白和 SM22α 的荧光明显较低。还发现 VICs 的细胞骨架不像收缩型 VSMCs 那样坚硬。VICs 表达多种 VSMC 特异性蛋白，并表现出表型调节的 VSMC 的特征，具有增强的迁移能力。因此，VICs 代表了在正常生理条件下存在于人动脉中的常驻表型调节的 VSMCs。
