Diversity within pericytes |Title||Diversity within pericytes|
|Journal||Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology|
|Abstract||1. Pericytes are cells of microvessels (arterioles,
capillaries and venules) that wrap around endothelial cells.
They are most abundant on venules and are common on capillaries.
2. The pericyte population is highly variable between different
tissues and organs, probably in a manner reflecting
postarteriolar hydrostatic pressures. Pericytes are more
abundant in the distal legs and feet, again suggesting a
hydrostatic pressure-driven mechanical role for pericytes as
protectors of microvessel wall integrity. 3. Pericyte alteration
or degeneration is linked directly with microangiopathy in
diabetes, scleroderma, hypertension, dementias and, possibly,
inappropriate calcification of blood vessels. 4. Pericytes are
functionally codependent on endothelial cells. Each cell type
influences each others' mitotic rate and probably phenotypic
expression. 5. Pericytes are not randomly loca