Open AccessDistinct features of brain perivascular fibroblasts and mural cells revealed by in vivo two-photon imaging
Author(s) -
Stephanie Bonney,
Liam Sullivan,
Timothy J. Cherry,
Richard Daneman,
Andy Y. Shih
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1559-7016
pISSN - 0271-678X
DOI - 10.1177/0271678x211068528
Subject(s) - mural cell , perivascular space , biology , anatomy , cortex (anatomy) , neuroscience , pathology , smooth muscle , vascular smooth muscle , medicine , endocrinology
Perivascular fibroblasts (PVFs) are recognized for their pro-fibrotic role in many central nervous system disorders. Like mural cells, PVFs surround blood vessels and express Pdgfrβ. However, these shared attributes hinder the ability to distinguish PVFs from mural cells. We used in vivo two-photon imaging and transgenic mice with PVF-targeting promoters (Col1a1 or Col1a2) to compare the structure and distribution of PVFs and mural cells in cerebral cortex of healthy, adult mice. We show that PVFs localize to all cortical penetrating arterioles and their offshoots (arteriole-capillary transition zone), as well as the main trunk of only larger ascending venules. However, the capillary zone is devoid of PVF coverage. PVFs display short-range mobility along the vessel wall and exhibit distinct structural features (flattened somata and thin ruffled processes) not seen with smooth muscle cells or pericytes. These findings clarify that PVFs and mural cells are distinct cell types coexisting in a similar perivascular niche.