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Vascular endothelial cadherin is expressed by perineurial cells of peripheral nerve
Author(s) -
Mark E. Smith,
Timothy A. Jones,
David A. Hilton
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
histopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.626
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1365-2559
pISSN - 0309-0167
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2559.1998.00410.x
Subject(s) - perineurium , cadherin , pathology , endoneurium , ve cadherin , immunohistochemistry , schwann cell , endothelium , monoclonal antibody , anatomy , biology , antibody , medicine , peripheral nerve , cell , immunology , genetics
Aims To study the distribution of vascular endothelial (VE) cadherin in peripheral nerves. Methods and results Using two monoclonal antibodies that detect VE‐cadherin (TEA1.31 and 7B4) an immunohistochemical study of VE‐cadherin expression in five common peroneal nerve biopsies and five skin specimens containing small peripheal nerves was performed. VE‐cadherin was consistently expressed by the perineurium of nerves but not by other nerve elements such as Schwann cells or axons. Conclusion This report indicates that VE‐cadherin is not, as was previously thought, a specific marker of endothelial cells and further defines the phenotype of the perineurial cell. The established role of VE‐cadherin in controlling the permeability of vascular endothelium suggests that this molecule may have a similar role in the perineurium. VE‐cadherin may therefore be important in the maintenance of the blood–nerve barrier, the peripheral nerve equivalent of the blood–brain barrier.