Pericyte Control of Blood Flow Across Microvascular Zones in the Central Nervous System.
Annu Rev Physiol
; 84: 331-354, 2022 02 10.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-34672718
ABSTRACT
The vast majority of the brain's vascular length is composed of capillaries, where our understanding of blood flow control remains incomplete. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the control of blood flow across microvascular zones by addressing issues with nomenclature and drawing on new developments from in vivo optical imaging and single-cell transcriptomics. Recent studies have highlighted important distinctions in mural cell morphology, gene expression, and contractile dynamics, which can explain observed differences in response to vasoactive mediators between arteriole, transitional, and capillary zones. Smooth muscle cells of arterioles and ensheathing pericytes of the arteriole-capillary transitional zone control large-scale, rapid changes in blood flow. In contrast, capillary pericytes downstream of the transitional zone act on slower and smaller scales and are involved in establishing resting capillary tone and flow heterogeneity. Many unresolved issues remain, including the vasoactive mediators that activate the different pericyte types in vivo, the role of pericyte-endothelial communication in conducting signals from capillaries to arterioles, and how neurological disease affects these mechanisms.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Capilares
/
Pericitos
Límite:
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Annu Rev Physiol
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos