Journal
JOURNAL OF CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND METABOLISM
Volume 37, Issue 12, Pages 3683-3694Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/0271678X17697340
Keywords
Blood-brain barrier; neurovascular unit; pericytes; extravasation; permeability
Categories
Funding
- Roche Postdoctoral Fellowship (RPF)
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The blood-brain barrier (BBB) regulates differing needs of the various brain regions by controlling transport of blood-borne components from the neurovascular circulation into the brain parenchyma. The mechanisms underlying region-specific transport across the BBB are not completely understood. Previous work showed that pericytes are key regulators of BBB function. Here we investigated whether pericytes influence BBB permeability in a region-specific manner by analysing the regional permeability of the BBB in the pdgf-b(ret/ret) mouse model of pericyte depletion. We show that BBB permeability is heterogeneous in pdgf-b(ret/ret) mice, being significantly higher in the cortex, striatum and hippocampus compared to the interbrain and midbrain. However, we show that this regional heterogeneity in BBB permeability is not explained by local differences in pericyte coverage. Region-specific differences in permeability were not associated with disruption of tight junctions but may result from changes in transcytosis across brain endothelial cells. Our data show that certain brain regions are able to maintain low BBB permeability despite substantial pericyte loss and suggest that additional, locally-acting mechanisms may contribute to control of transport.
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