Skeletal and cardiac muscle pericytes: Functions and therapeutic potential.
Pericytes are periendothelial mesenchymal cells residing within the microvasculature. Skeletal muscle and cardiac pericytes are now recognized to fulfill an increasing number of functions in normal tissue homeostasis, including contributing to microvascular function by maintaining vessel stability and regulating capillary flow. In the setting of muscle injury, pericytes contribute to a regenerative microenvironment through release of trophic factors and by modulating local immune responses. In skeletal muscle, pericytes also directly enhance tissue healing by differentiating into myofibers. Conversely, pericytes have also been implicated in the development of disease states, including fibrosis, heterotopic ossication and calcification, atherosclerosis, and tumor angiogenesis. Despite increased recognition of pericyte heterogeneity, it is not yet clear whether specific subsets of pericytes are responsible for individual functions in skeletal and cardiac muscle homeostasis and disease.
BHF Center for Vascular Regeneration and MRC Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Department of Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgery, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Iain R
IR
Murray
BHF Center for Vascular Regeneration and MRC Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
James E
JE
Baily
Reseach Laboratory of Electronics and Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, MA, USA.
William C W
WCW
Chen
Orthopedic Hospital Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Ayelet
A
Dar
BHF Center for Vascular Regeneration and MRC Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Zaniah N
ZN
Gonzalez
Orthopedic Hospital Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Andrew R
AR
Jensen
Orthopedic Hospital Research Center, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Frank A
FA
Petrigliano
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine & Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, and Eli and Edythe Broad Institute of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, David Geffen School of Medicine and College of Letters and Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. Electronic address: adeb@mednet.ucla.edu.
Arjun
A
Deb
MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. Electronic address: Neil.Henderson@ed.ac.uk.
Neil C
NC
Henderson
D000818:Animals; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D055806:Microvessels / Q000166:cytology; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000473:pathology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000473:pathology; D020286:Pericytes / Q000166:cytology*; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology
Heart; MSC; Mesenchymal stem cell; Muscle; PSC; Perivascular stem cell