Open AccessBrain Vascular Pericytes Following Ischemia Have Multipotential Stem Cell Activity to Differentiate Into Neural and Vascular Lineage Cells
Author(s) -
Nakagomi Takayuki,
Kubo Shuji,
NakanoDoi Akiko,
Sakuma Rika,
Lu Shan,
Narita Aya,
Kawahara Maiko,
Taguchi Akihiko,
Matsuyama Tomohiro
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
stem cells
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.159
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1549-4918
pISSN - 1066-5099
DOI - 10.1002/stem.1977
Subject(s) - biology , neurogenesis , neural stem cell , stem cell , neurosphere , vasculogenesis , pericyte , multipotent stem cell , neuroscience , endothelial stem cell , microbiology and biotechnology , mesenchymal stem cell , anatomy , adult stem cell , progenitor cell , biochemistry , in vitro
Brain vascular pericytes (PCs) are a key component of the blood‐brain barrier (BBB)/neurovascular unit, along with neural and endothelial cells. Besides their crucial role in maintaining the BBB, increasing evidence shows that PCs have multipotential stem cell activity. However, their multipotency has not been considered in the pathological brain, such as after an ischemic stroke. Here, we examined whether brain vascular PCs following ischemia (iPCs) have multipotential stem cell activity and differentiate into neural and vascular lineage cells to reconstruct the BBB/neurovascular unit. Using PCs extracted from ischemic regions (iPCs) from mouse brains and human brain PCs cultured under oxygen/glucose deprivation, we show that PCs developed stemness presumably through reprogramming. The iPCs revealed a complex phenotype of angioblasts, in addition to their original mesenchymal properties, and multidifferentiated into cells from both a neural and vascular lineage. These data indicate that under ischemic/hypoxic conditions, PCs can acquire multipotential stem cell activity and can differentiate into major components of the BBB/neurovascular unit. Thus, these findings support the novel concept that iPCs can contribute to both neurogenesis and vasculogenesis at the site of brain injuries. S tem C ells 2015;33:1962–1974