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Cerebrovascular Casting of the Adult Mouse for 3D Imaging and Morphological Analysis
Published on: November 30, 2011
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In mice and humans, brain microvascular contractility matures postnatally
Leila Slaoui1, Alice Gilbert1, Armelle Rancillac1
1Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB), Collège de France, CNRS, INSERM, Université PSL, Paris, France.
Brain Structure & Function
|November 15, 2022
Summary
The brain
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Embryonic development of brain microvasculature is well-studied.
- Postnatal maturation of brain vascular cells remains largely undescribed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular and functional changes in brain vascular cells during postnatal development.
- To identify key maturation processes in endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, and fibroblasts.
Main Methods:
- Transcriptomic analysis of purified mouse cortical microvessels (MVs) at postnatal days 5 and 15.
- Identification of cell-type-specific or -preferentially expressed transcripts.
- Comparison with human brain cortex samples.
Main Results:
- Endothelial cells (EC), vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), and fibroblasts (FB) exhibit distinct molecular maturation programs.
- Arteriolar VSMC network expansion and acquisition of contractility increase cerebral blood flow (CBF).
- Developmental trajectories of VSMCs vary across cortical regions, with similar postnatal maturation observed in human brain cortex.
Conclusions:
- The postnatal period is critical for acquiring mature arteriolar VSMC contractility.
- This maturation is essential for establishing proper vessel tone and brain perfusion.
- The study reveals conserved postnatal maturation mechanisms in mouse and human brain vasculature.
