Wu Qingbin, Jing Yingli, Yuan Xiaochen, Li Bingwei, Wang Bing, Liu Mingming, Li Hongwei, Xiu Ruijuan
Clin Hemorheol Microcirc. 2015 Jul 16;60(2):231-40. doi: 10.3233/CH-141856.
Pericytes are contractile cells that wrap around the endothelial cells of capillaries throughout the body. They play an important role in regulating the blood brain barrier (BBB) and blood spinal cord barrier (BSCB). The differences between brain and spinal cord microvascular endothelial cells have been investigated. However, no report has elucidated the similarities and differences between brain microvascular pericytes (BMPs) and spinal cord microvascular pericytes (SCMPs) in vitro. The similarities were found between the two types of pericytes not only in the proliferation ability but also in the expression of toll like receptor 4. On the other hand, BMPs showed more than 2 fold in tubular length formation compared with SCMPs. The number of migratory SCMPs was larger than that of migratory BMPs. The expressions of connexin 43 and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in BMPs were increased compared with those in SCMPs, while SCMPs expressed more desmin and N-cadherin than BMPs. The abilities of tube-formation and migration between BMPs and SCMPs were markedly different, which might be mediated by VEGF, connexin 43, N-cadherin and desmin. These distinguishing features may reflect the more widespread differences between the BBB and BSCB which directly impact pathophysiological processes in various major diseases.
周细胞是一种收缩性细胞，包裹着全身毛细血管的内皮细胞。它们在调节血脑屏障（BBB）和血脊髓屏障（BSCB）中发挥着重要作用。脑和脊髓微血管内皮细胞之间的差异已得到研究。然而，尚无报告阐明脑微血管周细胞（BMP）和脊髓微血管周细胞（SCMP）在体外的异同。发现这两种周细胞不仅在增殖能力上，而且在Toll样受体4的表达上都存在相似之处。另一方面，与SCMP相比，BMP在形成管状结构的长度方面表现出超过2倍的差异。迁移的SCMP数量多于迁移的BMP。与SCMP相比，BMP中连接蛋白43和血管内皮生长因子（VEGF）的表达增加，而SCMP比BMP表达更多的结蛋白和N-钙黏着蛋白。BMP和SCMP之间的管状结构形成能力和迁移能力明显不同，这可能由VEGF、连接蛋白43、N-钙黏着蛋白和结蛋白介导。这些显著特征可能反映了血脑屏障和血脊髓屏障之间更广泛的差异，这些差异直接影响各种主要疾病的病理生理过程。
