| First Author | Gonzales AL | Year | 2020 |
| Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 117 |
| Issue | 43 | Pages | 27022-27033 |
| PubMed ID | 33051294 | Mgi Jnum | J:303335 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6471273 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.1922755117 |
| Citation | Gonzales AL, et al. (2020) Contractile pericytes determine the direction of blood flow at capillary junctions. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 117(43):27022-27033 |
| abstractText | The essential function of the circulatory system is to continuously and efficiently supply the O2 and nutrients necessary to meet the metabolic demands of every cell in the body, a function in which vast capillary networks play a key role. Capillary networks serve an additional important function in the central nervous system: acting as a sensory network, they detect neuronal activity in the form of elevated extracellular K(+) and initiate a retrograde, propagating, hyperpolarizing signal that dilates upstream arterioles to rapidly increase local blood flow. Yet, little is known about how blood entering this network is distributed on a branch-to-branch basis to reach specific neurons in need. Here, we demonstrate that capillary-enwrapping projections of junctional, contractile pericytes within a postarteriole transitional region differentially constrict to structurally and dynamically determine the morphology of capillary junctions and thereby regulate branch-specific blood flow. We further found that these contractile pericytes are capable of receiving propagating K(+)-induced hyperpolarizing signals propagating through the capillary network and dynamically channeling red blood cells toward the initiating signal. By controlling blood flow at junctions, contractile pericytes within a functionally distinct postarteriole transitional region maintain the efficiency and effectiveness of the capillary network, enabling optimal perfusion of the brain. |
