Pericytes in the disease spotlight

作者：Hielke van Splunder, Pilar Villacampa, Anabel Martínez-Romero, Mariona Graupera · 发表于：Trends in Cell Biology · 年份：2023 · DOI：10.1016/j.tcb.2023.06.001 · 被引用次数：156 · 研究领域：Hippo pathway signaling and YAP/TAZ、Barrier Structure and Function Studies、Caveolin-1 and cellular processes

Molecular and functional pericyte studies at single-cell resolution are providing new insights into long-standing questions about pericyte heterogeneity.Pericytes are not identified by a single marker but instead by gene expression signatures that show substantial inter-organ differences.Pericytes orchestrate and precede endothelial cell responses during angiogenesis.Pericyte degeneration and dysfunction, that are triggered by the onset of some diseases, contribute to the progression of those diseases in both vascular and non-vascular contexts.The number of diseases with pericyte dysfunction continues to expand, thereby anticipating a promising future for pericyte-focused therapy. Pericytes are classically defined as mural cells (see Glossary) that envelop the endothelium of small caliber blood vessels, the so-called capillaries. Pericytes are embedded within the same basement membrane as endothelial cells (ECs) and interact closely with them [1.Armulik A. et al.Pericytes: developmental, physiological, and pathological perspectives, problems, and promises.Dev. Cell. 2011; 21: 193-215Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1790) Google Scholar,2.Holm A. et al.Microvascular mural cell organotypic heterogeneity and functional plasticity.Trends Cell Biol. 2018; 28: 302-316Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (63) Google Scholar]. By contrast, vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs), the other mural cell type, cover large arteries and veins, and are physically separ...