Pericytes are cells located in the perivascular areas of the blood brain barrier (BBB). They regulate cerebral blood flow and maintain BBB integrity. In mice models, we have discovered that pericyte loss can be linked to Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) development through the promotion of amyloid beta (Aβ) and tau pathologies. This connection has been further strengthened with the data we have accumulated on the apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) gene, which leads to pericyte loss and BBB breakdown. Pericyte degeneration results in reduced oxygen supply to the brain, as well as white matter dysfunction. On the contrary, the presence of pericytes clears Aβ aggregates through an LRP1/apoE isoform-specific mechanism, making LRP1/apoE interactions with pericytes a possible target for controlling Aβ clearance in AD.
View our papers on pericytes in PubMed:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29192539
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30340601
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29400711
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28441414
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28135240