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Updated: May 9, 2026
Isolation of Type I and Type II Pericytes from Mouse Skeletal Muscles
Published on: May 26, 2017
Pericytes in development and pathology of skeletal muscle
Ornella Cappellari1, Giulio Cossu
1Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, United Kingdom.
Insights
Pericytes (mural cells) are crucial for blood vessel formation and health. Their role in tissue growth suggests potential for regeneration, but inflammation can divert them toward fibrosis.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Pericytes, also known as mural or Rouget cells, are increasingly recognized for their roles in angiogenesis, vascular homeostasis, and pathology.
- Limited knowledge exists regarding pericyte origin, heterogeneity, gene expression, and developmental potential.
- Challenges in identifying and isolating pericytes due to a paucity of unique markers hinder research compared to endothelial cells.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the lesser-known aspects of pericyte biology, focusing on their developmental roles.
- To propose a novel function for pericytes in contributing to growing mesodermal tissues.
- To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the switch between regenerative and fibrotic fates in pericytes.
Main Methods:
- This study is primarily a review and conceptual proposal, synthesizing existing literature.
- It discusses the challenges in pericyte identification and isolation in vivo and ex vivo.
- It analyzes the signaling environment influencing pericyte behavior during development versus disease.
Main Results:
- Pericytes may play a significant role in the growth of mesodermal tissues.
- Their regenerative capacity could stem from their function in normal tissue growth.
- Inflammatory signaling in damaged tissues can redirect pericytes from regeneration to fibrosis.
Conclusions:
- Pericyte contribution to growing tissues is a key area for future research.
- Understanding the developmental roles of pericytes may unlock their regenerative potential.
- Modulating inflammatory responses could be crucial for harnessing pericyte-mediated tissue repair and preventing fibrosis.
Abstract:
Increasing attention is currently devoted to the multiple roles that pericytes (also defined as mural, Rouget, or perivascular cells) may play during angiogenesis, vascular homeostasis, and pathology. Many recent excellent reviews thoroughly address these topics (see below); hence, we will not discuss them in detail here. However, not much is known about origin, heterogeneity, gene expression, and developmental potential of pericytes during fetal and postnatal development. This is likely because of the paucity of markers expressed by pericytes and the absence of truly unique ones. Thus, in vivo identification and ex perspective isolation are challenging and explain the relative little data available in comparison with neighbor but far more characterized cells such as the endothelium. Despite this preliminary knowledge, we will propose that contribution to growing mesoderm tissues may be an important role for pericytes. Thus, their ability to contribute to tissue regeneration may be a consequence of their role in tissue growth. However, in a severely damaged or diseased tissue, acute or chronic inflammation likely results in the production of signaling molecules that are different from those present in developing tissues, thus explaining why pericytes are easily diverted from a regenerative to a fibrotic fate.
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