The CNS microvascular pericyte: pericyte-astrocyte crosstalk in the regulation of tissue survival

Authors

Drew Bonkowski, Department of Neurology, Wayne State University School of MedicineFollow
Vladimir Katyshev, Wayne State University School of MedicineFollow
Roumen D. Balabanov, Rush University Medical CenterFollow
Andre Borisov, Wayne State UniversityFollow
Paula Dore-Duffy, Wayne State University School of MedicineFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Abstract

The French scientist Charles Benjamin Rouget identified the pericyte nearly 140 years ago. Since that time the role of the pericyte in vascular function has been difficult to elucidate. It was not until the development of techniques to isolate and culture pericytes that scientists have begun to understand the true impact of this unique cell in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. In the brain the pericyte is an integral cellular component of the blood-brain barrier and, together with other cells of the neurovascular unit (endothelial cells, astrocytes and neurons) the pericyte makes fine-tuned regulatory adjustments and adaptations to promote tissue survival. These regulatory changes involve trans-cellular communication networks between cells. In this review we consider evidence for cell-to-cell crosstalk between pericytes and astrocytes during development and in adult brain.

Disciplines

Neurology

Recommended Citation

Bonkowski et al.: The CNS microvascular pericyte: pericyte-astrocyte crosstalk in the regulation of tissue survival. Fluids and Barriers of the CNS 2011 8:8.