| First Author | Natarajan V | Year | 2022 |
| Journal | Cancers (Basel) | Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 10 | PubMed ID | 35626052 |
| Mgi Jnum | J:349029 | Mgi Id | MGI:7645967 |
| Doi | 10.3390/cancers14102448 | Citation | Natarajan V, et al. (2022) Acquired alphaSMA Expression in Pericytes Coincides with Aberrant Vascular Structure and Function in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 14(10) |
| abstractText | The subpopulations of tumor pericytes undergo pathological phenotype switching, affecting their normal function in upholding structural stability and cross-communication with other cells. In the case of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a significant portion of blood vessels are covered by an alpha-smooth muscle actin (alphaSMA)-expressing pericyte, which is normally absent from capillary pericytes. The Desmin(low)alphaSMA(high) phenotype was significantly correlated with intratumoral hypoxia and vascular leakiness. Using an in vitro co-culture system, we demonstrated that cancer cell-derived exosomes could induce ectopic alphaSMA expression in pericytes. Exosome-treated alphaSMA(+) pericytes presented altered pericyte markers and an acquired immune-modulatory feature. alphaSMA(+) pericytes were also linked to morphological and biomechanical changes in the pericyte. The PDAC exosome was sufficient to induce alphaSMA expression by normal pericytes of the healthy pancreas in vivo, and the vessels with alphaSMA(+) pericytes were leaky. This study demonstrated that tumor pericyte heterogeneity could be dictated by cancer cells, and a subpopulation of these pericytes confers a pathological feature. |
