Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.
Wellcome Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
J Anat. 2023 Aug;243(2):245-257. doi: 10.1111/joa.13721. Epub 2022 Jul 16.
The retina has a complex structure with a diverse collection of component cells that work together to facilitate vision. The retinal capillaries supplying the nutritional requirements to the inner retina have an intricate system of neural, glial and vascular elements that interconnect to form the neurovascular unit (NVU). The retina has no autonomic nervous system and so relies on the NVU as an interdependent, physical and functional unit to alter blood flow appropriately to changes in the physiological environment. The importance of this is demonstrated by alterations in NVU function being apparent in the blinding disease diabetic retinopathy and other diseases of the retina. It is, therefore, imperative to understand the anatomy of the components of the NVU that underlie its functioning and in particular the nanoscale arrangements of its heterocellular components. However, information on this in three spatial dimensions is limited. In the present study, we utilised the technique of serial block-face scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM), and computational image reconstruction, to enable the first three-dimensional ultrastructural analysis of the NVU in mouse retinal capillaries. Mouse isolated retina was prepared for SBF-SEM and up to 150 serial scanning electron microscopy images (covering z-axes distances of 12-8 mm) of individual capillaries in the superficial plexus and NVU cellular components digitally aligned. Examination of the data in the x-, y- and z-planes was performed with the use of semi-automated computational image analysis tools including segmentation, 3D image reconstruction and quantitation of cell proximities. A prominent feature of the capillary arrangements in 3D was the extensive sheath-like coverage by singular pericytes. They appeared in close register to the basement membrane with which they interwove in a complex mesh-like appearance. Breaks in the basement membrane appeared to facilitate pericyte interactions with other NVU cell types. There were frequent, close (<10 nm) pericyte-endothelial interactions with direct contact points and peg-and-socket-like morphology. Macroglia typically intervened between neurons and capillary structures; however, regions were identified where neurons came into closer contact with the basement membrane. A software-generated analysis to assess the morphology of the different cellular components of the NVU, including quantifications of convexity, sphericity and cell-to-cell closeness, has enabled preliminary semi-quantitative characterisation of cell arrangements with neighbouring structures. This study presents new data on the nanoscale spatial characteristics of components of the murine retinal NVU in 3D that has implications for our understanding of structural integrity (e.g. pericyte-endothelial cell anchoring) and function (e.g. possible paracrine communication between macroglia and pericytes). It also serves as a platform to inform future studies examining changes in NVU characteristics with different biological and disease circumstances. All raw and processed image data have been deposited for public viewing.
视网膜具有复杂的结构,其中包含多种成分细胞,这些细胞共同作用以促进视觉。为内层视网膜提供营养需求的视网膜毛细血管具有复杂的神经网络、神经胶质和血管成分系统,这些成分相互连接形成神经血管单元 (NVU)。视网膜没有自主神经系统,因此依赖 NVU 作为相互依存的物理和功能单元,根据生理环境的变化适当改变血流。NVU 功能的改变在致盲性疾病糖尿病视网膜病变和其他视网膜疾病中显而易见,这证明了这一点。因此,了解 NVU 功能的组成部分的解剖结构至关重要,特别是其异细胞成分的纳米尺度排列。然而,关于这方面的三维信息是有限的。在本研究中,我们利用了连续块面扫描电子显微镜 (SBF-SEM) 技术和计算图像重建,首次对小鼠视网膜毛细血管中的 NVU 进行了三维超微结构分析。为 SBF-SEM 准备了小鼠离体视网膜,并对浅层丛中的单个毛细血管和 NVU 细胞成分进行了多达 150 张连续扫描电子显微镜图像 (覆盖 z 轴距离 12-8 毫米) 的数字化对齐。使用半自动计算图像分析工具(包括分割、3D 图像重建和细胞接近度定量)在 x、y 和 z 平面上检查数据。3D 中毛细血管排列的一个突出特征是单个周细胞的广泛鞘状覆盖。它们与基底膜紧密排列,并交织成复杂的网状外观。基底膜的破裂似乎有利于周细胞与其他 NVU 细胞类型的相互作用。周细胞与内皮细胞之间存在频繁的、紧密的 (<10nm) 相互作用,具有直接接触点和钉状插座样形态。大胶质细胞通常介于神经元和毛细血管结构之间;然而,也确定了神经元与基底膜更接近的区域。软件生成的分析用于评估 NVU 不同细胞成分的形态,包括凸度、球形度和细胞间接近度的定量,这使得对细胞与邻近结构的排列进行初步半定量描述成为可能。本研究提供了有关 3D 中小鼠视网膜 NVU 成分纳米尺度空间特征的新数据,这对我们理解结构完整性(例如周细胞-内皮细胞锚定)和功能(例如大胶质细胞和周细胞之间可能的旁分泌通讯)具有重要意义。它还为研究不同生物学和疾病情况下 NVU 特征的变化提供了一个平台。所有原始和处理后的图像数据都已存储以供公众查看。