title: ABO blood antigens define human cerebral endothelial diversity.
abstract: Cerebral endothelial cells participate in the blood-brain barrier and regulate activity-dependent changes in brain blood flow. It has been assumed that all cerebral endothelial cells are similar, but genetic studies in mice suggest that there are heterogeneous populations of endothelial cells in rodent brain. In this study, we tested for molecular heterogeneity of endothelial cells in the human brain. Human brains (five A and five O blood type patients) from autopsies were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence using antibodies against von Willebrand factor (vWF) and A and H blood group antigens. vWF and ABO antigens were confined to the endothelium. Although all endothelial cells expressed vWF, capillary endothelial cells from A blood type brains showed a heterogeneous expression of A and H antigens, with individual cells expressing either one or both antigens. There were no differences between the gray and the white matter in the percentage of A-reactive or H-reactive capillaries. We conclude that ABO antigen expression in the human brain is modulated at the level of the individual endothelial cell. Future studies are warranted to determine whether differences in capillary permeability and cerebral autoregulation vary over short distances within the brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. micwang@umich.edu
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Soo Jung
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jisu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jennifer J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Majersik
authors.forename: Mila
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blaivas
authors.forename: Jimo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Borjigin
mesh_terms: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002196:Capillaries / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D000941:Antigens; D014841:von Willebrand Factor