Pericytes are located on the abluminal side of endothelial cells lining the microvasculature in all organs. They have been identified as multipotent progenitor cells in several tissues of the body including the human brain. New evidence suggests that pericytes contribute to tissue repair, but their role in the injured brain is largely unknown. Here, we investigate the role of pericytes in ischemic stroke. Using a pericyte-reporter mouse model, we provide unique evidence that regulator of G-protein signaling 5 expressing cells are activated pericytes that leave the blood vessel wall, proliferate and give rise to microglial cells after ischemic brain injury. Consistently, we show that activated pericytes express microglial markers in human stroke brain tissue. We demonstrate that human brain-derived pericytes adopt a microglial phenotype and upregulate mRNA specific for activated microglial cells under hypoxic conditions in vitro. Our study indicates that the vasculature is a novel source of inflammatory cells with a microglial phenotype in brain ischemia and hence identifies pericytes as an important new target for the development of future stroke therapies.

The most frequently used animal models for Parkinson's disease (PD) utilize unilateral injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in the medial forebrain bundle (MFB), which results in total denervation of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway. However, neuroprotective interventions in PD require models resembling earlier stages of PD, where some dopaminergic cells and fibres remain. The aim of the present study was therefore to establish a MFB partial lesion model in mice. We tested four different 6-OHDA doses, and our results show a dose-dependent loss of nigral dopaminergic cells and striatal fibres that correlated with behavioural impairment in several behavioural tests. Specifically, doses of 0.7 μg and 1 μg of 6-OHDA induced a partial denervation of the nigrostriatal pathway, associated with a mild but quantifiable behavioural impairment. We identified the amphetamine-induced rotation, stepping, corridor and cylinder test to be sensitive enough to select partial lesion animals. Based on our data, we proposed a range of cut-off values for these different behavioural tests to select partial lesion mice. Using a statistical prediction model we identified two behavioural tests (the stepping test and amphetamine-induced rotation test) that with a high sensitivity and specificity predict the extent of nigral dopaminergic cell loss and select mice with a partial nigrostriatal lesion prior to further interventions. This model can serve as an important tool to study neuroprotective therapies for PD in mouse models, especially when the treatment targets the substantia nigra and/or the striatum.

Brain pericytes not only maintain the anatomical, biochemical and immune blood-brain barrier, but display features of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in vitro. MSCs have pro-regenerative properties attributed to their secretome. However, whether also brain pericytes possess such pro-regenerative capacities is largely unknown. Here we characterize the secretome and microvesicle (MV) release of human brain pericytes mediated by platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB)/PDGF receptor beta (PDGFRβ) signalling. Upon PDGF-BB, pericytes release not only a plethora of growth factors and a panel of cytokines, but also MVs containing BDNF, FGFb, βNGF, VEGF and PLGF, a response that is specific for PDGFRβ signalling and activation of the ERK 1/2 pathway. In contrast, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an activator of the innate immune system, stimulates the secretion of much higher amounts of mainly inflammatory cytokines and activates the NFκB pathway. Pericytes change their morphology and undergo opposite changes in surface marker expression, respectively. Our findings provide evidence that the secretome of human brain pericytes varies greatly depending on the exogenous stimulus. The differential secretory functions of pericytes may play an important role in either regulating neuroinflammation or contributing to neurorestoration and identify a possible new target cell for neuroregeneration.

The pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the formation of Lewy bodies containing aggregated alpha-synuclein (α-syn). Although PD is associated with these distinct histological changes, other pathological features such as microvascular alterations have been linked to neurodegeneration. These changes need to be investigated as they create a hostile brain microenvironment and may contribute to the development and progression of the disease. We use a human α-syn overexpression mouse model that recapitulates some of the pathological features of PD in terms of progressive aggregation of human α-syn, impaired striatal dopamine fiber density, and an age-dependent motor deficit consistent with an impaired dopamine release. We demonstrate for the first time in this model a compromised blood–brain barrier integrity and dynamic changes in vessel morphology from angiogenesis at earlier stages to vascular regression at later stages. The vascular alterations are accompanied by a pathological activation of pericytes already at an early stage without changing overall pericyte density. Our data support and further extend the occurrence of vascular pathology as an important pathophysiological aspect in PD. The model used provides a powerful tool to investigate disease-modifying factors in PD in a temporal sequence that might guide the development of new treatments.