Descending vasa recta endothelial cells and pericytes form mural syncytia

Using patch clamp, we induced depolarization of descending vasa recta (DVR) pericytes or endothelia and tested whether it was conducted to distant cells. Membrane potential was measured with the fluorescent voltage dye di-8-ANEPPS or with a second patch-clamp electrode. Depolarization of an endothelial cell induced responses in other endothelia within a millisecond and was slowed by gap junction blockade with heptanol. Endothelial response to pericyte depolarization was poor, implying high-resistance myo-endothelial coupling. In contrast, dual patch clamp of neighboring pericytes revealed syncytial coupling. At high sampling rate, the spread of depolarization between pericytes and endothelia occurred in 9 ± 2 or 12 ± 2 μs, respectively. Heptanol (2 mM) increased the overall input resistance of the pericyte layer to current flow and prevented transmission of depolarization between neighboring cells. The fluorescent tracer Lucifer yellow (LY), when introduced through ruptured patches, spread between neighboring endothelia in 1 to 7 s, depending on location of the flanking cell. LY diffused to endothelial cells on the ipsilateral but not contralateral side of the DVR wall and minimally between pericytes. We conclude that both DVR pericytes and endothelia are part of individual syncytia. The rate of conduction of membrane potential exceeds that for diffusion of hydrophilic molecules by orders of magnitude. Gap junction coupling of adjacent endothelial cells may be spatially oriented to favor longitudinal transmission along the DVR axis.