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Updated: Dec 14, 2025

Reliable Isolation of Central Nervous System Microvessels Across Five Vertebrate Groups

Reliable Isolation of Central Nervous System Microvessels Across Five Vertebrate Groups

Published on: January 12, 2020

Transcriptomic comparison of human and mouse brain microvessels.

Hannah W Song^1,2, Koji L Foreman¹, Benjamin D Gastfriend¹

¹Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1415 Engineering Dr., Madison, WI, 53706, USA.

Scientific Reports

|July 25, 2020

Summary

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Researchers characterized the molecular makeup of brain microvessels in humans and mice. This work enhances understanding of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and aids in developing new brain drug delivery strategies.

Area of Science:

Neuroscience
Vascular Biology
Genomics

Background:

The brain vasculature, specifically the blood-brain barrier (BBB), is crucial for maintaining brain homeostasis.
BBB dysfunction is implicated in various neurological disorders.
The molecular profiles of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) and pericytes are not fully understood, hindering therapeutic development.

Purpose of the Study:

To comprehensively characterize the molecular constituents of human and mouse brain microvessels.
To identify novel genes and cell markers associated with brain endothelial cells and pericytes.
To explore species-specific gene expression differences relevant to BBB function and drug delivery.

Main Methods:

Laser capture microdissection (LCM) was used to isolate brain microvessels from human and mouse tissues.

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Last Updated: Dec 14, 2025

Reliable Isolation of Central Nervous System Microvessels Across Five Vertebrate Groups

Reliable Isolation of Central Nervous System Microvessels Across Five Vertebrate Groups

Published on: January 12, 2020

Microdissection of Mouse Brain into Functionally and Anatomically Different Regions

Microdissection of Mouse Brain into Functionally and Anatomically Different Regions

Published on: February 15, 2021

Cerebrovascular Casting of the Adult Mouse for 3D Imaging and Morphological Analysis

Cerebrovascular Casting of the Adult Mouse for 3D Imaging and Morphological Analysis

Published on: November 30, 2011

RNA sequencing was performed on the isolated microvessel preparations to generate transcriptome datasets.

Bioinformatic analysis was employed to identify microvessel-enriched genes and compare human and mouse expression profiles.

Main Results:

Transcriptome data confirmed enrichment of known BMEC and pericyte markers.
Novel microvessel-enriched genes were identified.
Significant mouse-human differences in microvessel gene expression were discovered, with implications for BBB regulation and drug delivery.
Putative novel markers for human brain pericytes were identified by comparing LCM data with existing transcriptomic datasets.

Conclusions:

This study provides an improved molecular definition of human and mouse BMECs and brain pericytes.
The generated datasets serve as a valuable resource for understanding brain vascular function and dysfunction.
These findings support the rational design of brain-penetrant therapeutics and strategies to overcome BBB challenges.