Pericyte ontogeny: the use of chimeras to track a cell lineage of diverse germ line origins

Abstract

The goal of lineage tracing is to understand body formation over time by discovering which cells are the progeny of a specific, identified, ancestral progenitor. Subsidiary questions include unequivocal identification of what they have become, how many descendants develop, whether they live or die, and where they are located in the tissue or body at the end of the window examined. A classical approach in experimental embryology, lineage tracing continues to be used in developmental biology, stem cell and cancer research, wherever cellular potential and behavior need to be studied in multiple dimensions, of which one is time. Each technical approach has its advantages and drawbacks. This chapter, with some previously unpublished data, will concentrate non-exclusively on the use of interspecies chimeras to explore the origins of perivascular (or mural) cells, of which those adjacent to the vascular endothelium are termed pericytes for this purpose. These studies laid the groundwork for our understanding that pericytes derive from progenitor mesenchymal pools of multiple origins in the vertebrate embryo, some of which persist into adulthood. The results obtained through xenografting, like in the methodology described here, complement those obtained through genetic lineage tracing techniques within a given species.

A Synopsis of Signaling Crosstalk of Pericytes and Endothelial Cells in Salivary Gland

“…Correspondingly, PCs play a well-documented role in the dynamic and intricate process of angiogenesis, defined as the proliferation of ECs, sprouting, constitution, and branching of new vessels from pre-existing ones in order to establish interlinking capillary networks by mechanical support and paracrine factors [ 3 , 6 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Dysfunction of this comprehensive interconnection parallels the pathogenesis of SG disorders [ 15 , 16 ]. The absence of PCs is a hallmark of the disruption of vascular integrity [ 17 ].…”

“…Restoring and safeguarding vascular integrity as the primary target might represent a gear in the “master plan” for the treatment of the above-mentioned pathologies [ 15 , 22 ]. Moreover, recent studies revealed the embryological origin of PCs (neuroectoderm-derived neural crest cells) in the head and neck regions, as demonstrated in chick-quail chimeras [ 16 , 23 ].…”