Contractile pericytes determine the direction of blood flow at capillary junctions
| Autor: | Mark T. Nelson, Nikolaos M. Tsoukias, Michael I. Kotlikoff, Frank K. Lee, Bo Shui, Albert L. Gonzales, Jane C. Lee, Arash Moshkforoush, David C. Hill-Eubanks, Nicholas R. Klug |
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| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Capillary action
Central nervous system 03 medical and health sciences Mice 0302 clinical medicine Extracellular medicine Premovement neuronal activity Animals 030304 developmental biology 0303 health sciences Multidisciplinary Chemistry Microcirculation Blood flow Biological Sciences Cerebral Veins Capillaries Arterioles medicine.anatomical_structure Cerebral blood flow Cerebrovascular Circulation Circulatory system Biophysics Calcium Channels Pericytes Perfusion 030217 neurology & neurosurgery |
| Zdroj: | PNAS Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A |
| ISSN: | 1091-6490 |
| DOI: | 10.1073/pnas.1922755117 |
| Popis: | The essential function of the circulatory system is to continuously and efficiently supply the O(2) and nutrients necessary to meet the metabolic demands of every cell in the body, a function in which vast capillary networks play a key role. Capillary networks serve an additional important function in the central nervous system: acting as a sensory network, they detect neuronal activity in the form of elevated extracellular K(+) and initiate a retrograde, propagating, hyperpolarizing signal that dilates upstream arterioles to rapidly increase local blood flow. Yet, little is known about how blood entering this network is distributed on a branch-to-branch basis to reach specific neurons in need. Here, we demonstrate that capillary-enwrapping projections of junctional, contractile pericytes within a postarteriole transitional region differentially constrict to structurally and dynamically determine the morphology of capillary junctions and thereby regulate branch-specific blood flow. We further found that these contractile pericytes are capable of receiving propagating K(+)-induced hyperpolarizing signals propagating through the capillary network and dynamically channeling red blood cells toward the initiating signal. By controlling blood flow at junctions, contractile pericytes within a functionally distinct postarteriole transitional region maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of the capillary network, enabling optimal perfusion of the brain. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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