Differentiation of blood-brain barrier endothelial cells

The vascular system of the central nervous system is derived from capillary endothelial cells, which have invaded the early embryonic neuroectoderm from the perineural vascular plexus. This process is called angiogenesis and is probably regulated by brain-derived factors. Vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF) is an angiogenic growth factor whose expression correlated with embryonic brain angiogenesis, i.e. expression is high in the embryonic brain when angiogenesis occurs and low in the adult brain when angiogenesis is shut off under normal physiological conditions. VEGF receptors 1 and 2 (flt-1 and flk-1) as well as the recently identified angiopoietin receptors (tie-1 and tie-2) are receptor tyrosine kinases specifically expressed in endothelial cells. Expression of these receptors is high during brain angiogenesis but low in adult blood-brain barrier endothelium. They are required for the proper development of a vascular system, and particularly tie-2 is necessary for brain angiogenesis. Signal transduction by these receptors regulates endothelial cell growth, permeability and differentiation. Blood-brain barrier endothelial cell characteristics (complex tight junctions, low number of vesicles, specialized transport systems) are induced by the local brain environment, e.g. neurons and astrocytes. Tight junctions between brain endothelial cells are the structural basis for the paracellular impermeability and high electrical resistance of blood-brain barrier endothelium. Association of tight junction particles with the P-face rather than the number or branching frequency of tight junction stands correlated with blood-brain barrier development and function suggesting that the cytoplasmic anchoring of the tight junctions plays an important role. During inflammation, leukocytes migrate through blood-brain barrier endothelium. ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 on blood-brain barrier endothelial cells appear to be the major mediators of these processes while the selectins are absent from brain endothelium in vivo.