title: Immortalized CNS pericytes are quiescent smooth muscle actin-negative and pluripotent.
abstract: Despite their identification more than 100 years ago by the French scientist Charles-Marie Benjamin Rouget, microvascular pericytes have proven difficult to functionally characterize, due in part to their relatively low numbers and the lack of specific cell markers. However, recent progress is beginning to shed light on the diverse biological functions of these cells. Pericytes are thought to be involved in regulating vascular homeostasis and hemostasis as well as serving as a local source of adult stem cells. To further define the properties of these intriguing cells, we have isolated pericytes from transgenic mice (Immortomouse®) harboring a temperature-sensitive mutant of the SV40 virus target T-gene. This Immortopericyte (IMP) conditional cell line is stable for long periods of time and, at 33°C in the presence of interferon gamma, does not differentiate. Under these conditions IMPs are alpha muscle actin-negative and exhibit a pluripotent phenotype, but can be induced to differentiate along both mesenchymal and neuronal lineages at 37°C. Alternatively, differentiation of wild type pericytes and IMPs can be induced directly from capillaries in culture. Finally, the addition of endothelial cells to purified IMP cultures augments their rate of self-renewal and differentiation, possibly in a cell-to-cell contact dependent manner.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Division of Neuroimmunology Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI 48201, USA. pdduffy@med.wayne.edu
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dore-Duffy
authors.forename: Afroza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mehedi
authors.forename: Xueqian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Trotter
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gow
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000941:Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D001921:Brain / Q000098:blood supply / Q000166:cytology; D051929:CD146 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D002196:Capillaries / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000235:genetics; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000098:blood supply / Q000166:cytology*; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology; D005169:Factor VIII / Q000378:metabolism; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D020286:Pericytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D020797:Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D013696:Temperature; D000099216:Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan 4
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D000941:Antigens; D051929:CD146 Antigen; D005169:Factor VIII; D016900:Neurofilament Proteins; D011509:Proteoglycans; D020797:Receptor, Platelet-Derived Growth Factor beta; D000099216:Chondroitin Sulfate Proteoglycan 4; C558396:Acta2 protein, mouse; C497903:Mcam protein, mouse