Brain pericytes and Wnt/β-catenin signaling induce functional blood-brain barrier phenotype in human iPSC-derived model
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PROVIDER: PRJNA1303708 | ENA |
REPOSITORIES: ENA
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Project description:The blood-brain barrier (BBB), formed by brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), restricts vascular permeability by establishing tight junctions, reducing vesicular transport, and regulating molecular trafficking via dedicated transporters. In disease, BBB dysfunction leads to barrier disruption and neuroinflammation. Existing human in vitro BBB models recapitulate some but not all of these key BMEC features. Here, we present a method to differentiate human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into BMECs (hiBMECs) by co-culturing hiPSC-derived endothelial cells with brain pericytes (hiBPCs) and activating the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. The resulting hiBMECs exhibit barrier properties, functional efflux transporters, and appropriate inflammatory responses. RNA sequencing revealed a transcriptomic profile in hiBMECs closely matching the adult human BBB. Mechanistically, hiBPCs and Wnt/β-catenin signaling provided complementary cues that converged on ETS1, SMAD3/4, and PPARγ transcriptional networks. These findings reveal a synergistic mechanism by which brain pericytes and Wnt/β-catenin signaling orchestrate human BMEC differentiation and function, providing mechanistic insight into human BBB development and an improved hiPSC-derived BBB model for future drug screening and disease modeling.
2025-08-28 | GSE305015 | GEO
Project description:Using RNA sequencing to map differentially expressed genes in the 3D model of the blood-brain barrier ( composed of human brain endothelial cells, human astrocytes, and human pericytes) challenged with Borrelia garini .
2021-01-01 | E-MTAB-9753 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Using RNA sequencing to map differentially expressed genes in the 3D model of the blood-brain barrier ( composed of human brain endothelial cells, human astrocytes, and human pericytes) challenged with WNV.
2021-01-01 | E-MTAB-9754 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Using RNA sequencing to map differentially expressed genes in the 3D model of the blood-brain barrier ( composed of human brain endothelial cells, human astrocytes, and human pericytes) challenged with TBEV.
2021-01-01 | E-MTAB-9755 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:We hypothesize blood breakdown products present after hemorrhage to be inducers of brain edema via the ferroptosis-induced cell death of pericytes leading to comprimised blood-brain-barrier. RNAseq was applied to investigate the intracellular response of pericytes to iron exposure from cerebral hemorrhage.
2025-03-05 | GSE230184 | GEO
Project description:Brain metastasis of lung cancer causes high mortality, but the exact mechanisms underlying the metastasis remain unclear. Here we report that vascular pericytes derived from CD44+ lung cancer stem cells (CSCs) in lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) potently cause brain metastases through GPR124-mediated trans-endothelial migration (TEM). CD44+ CSCs in the perivascular niche generate the majority of vascular pericytes in lung ADC. CSC-derived pericyte-like cells (Cd-pericytes) exhibit remarkable TEM capacity to effectively intravasate into vessel lumina, survive in the circulation, extravasate into the brain parenchyma, and then de-differentiate into tumorigenic CSCs to form metastases. Moreover, Cd-pericytes uniquely express GPR124, a G-protein-coupled receptor. GPR124 mediates through Wnt7-β-Catenin activation to enhance TEM capacity of Cd-pericytes for intravasation and extravasation, two critical steps during tumor metastasis. Furthermore, selective disruption of Cd-pericytes, GPR124 or Wnt7-β-Catenin signaling markedly reduced brain and liver metastases of lung ADC. Our findings uncover an unappreciated cellular and molecular paradigm driving tumor metastasis.
2023-07-23 | GSE237317 | GEO
Project description:Brain metastasis of lung cancer causes high mortality, but the exact mechanisms underlying the metastasis remain unclear. Here we report that vascular pericytes derived from CD44+ lung cancer stem cells (CSCs) in lung adenocarcinoma (ADC) potently cause brain metastases through GPR124-mediated trans-endothelial migration (TEM). CD44+ CSCs in the perivascular niche generate the majority of vascular pericytes in lung ADC. CSC-derived pericyte-like cells (Cd-pericytes) exhibit remarkable TEM capacity to effectively intravasate into vessel lumina, survive in the circulation, extravasate into the brain parenchyma, and then de-differentiate into tumorigenic CSCs to form metastases. Moreover, Cd-pericytes uniquely express GPR124, a G-protein-coupled receptor. GPR124 mediates through Wnt7-β-Catenin activation to enhance TEM capacity of Cd-pericytes for intravasation and extravasation, two critical steps during tumor metastasis. Furthermore, selective disruption of Cd-pericytes, GPR124 or Wnt7-β-Catenin signaling markedly reduced brain and liver metastases of lung ADC. Our findings uncover an unappreciated cellular and molecular paradigm driving tumor metastasis.
2023-07-23 | GSE237316 | GEO
Project description:The formation, maintenance, and repair of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) are critical for central nervous system homeostasis. The interaction of endothelial cells with brain pericytes is known to induce BBB characteristics in brain endothelial cells during embryogenesis and could be used to differentiate human endothelial cells from stem cell source in in vitro BBB models. However, the molecular events involved in BBB maturation are not fully understood. To this end, human endothelial cells derived from hematopoietic stem cells were cultivated with either primary bovine or cell line-derived human brain pericytes to induce BBB formation. Subsequently, the transcriptomic profiles of solocultured vs. cocultured endothelial cells were analyzed over time by the Massive Analysis of cDNA Ends (MACE) technology. This RNA sequencing method is a 3’-end targeted, tag-based, reduced representation transcriptome profiling technique that can reliably quantify all polyadenylated transcripts including those with low expression. By analyzing the generated transcriptomic profiles, we can explore the molecular processes responsible for the functional changes observed in endothelial cells in coculture with brain pericytes (e.g. barrier tightening, changes in the expression of transporters and receptors). Our results identified several up- and downregulated genes and signaling pathways that provide a valuable data source to further delineate complex molecular processes that are involved in BBB formation and BBB maintenance. In addition, this data provides a source to identify novel targets for central nervous system drug delivery strategies.
2020-08-05 | GSE144474 | GEO
Project description:Rationale. The microvasculature of the central nervous system includes the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which regulates the permeability to nutrients and restricts the passage of toxic agents and inflammatory cells. Canonical Wnt/b-catenin signaling is responsible for the early phases of brain vascularization and blood-brain barrier differentiation. However, this signal declines after birth and other signaling pathways able to maintain barrier integrity at postnatal stage are still unknown. Objective. Sox17 constitutes a major downstream target of Wnt/b-catenin in endothelial cells and regulates arterial differentiation. In the present paper, we asked whether Sox17 may act downstream of Wnt/b-catenin in inducing BBB differentiation and maintenance. Methods and Results. Using reporter mice and nuclear staining of Sox17 and b-catenin, we report that while b-catenin signaling declines after birth, Sox17 activation increases and remains high in the adult. Endothelial-specific inactivation of Sox17 leads to increase of permeability of the brain microcirculation. The severity of this effect depends on the degree of BBB maturation: it is strong in the embryo, and progressively declines after birth. In search of Sox17 mechanism of action, RNA-Seq analysis of gene expression of brain endothelial cells has identified members of the Wnt/b-catenin signaling pathway as downstream targets of Sox17. Consistently, we found that Sox17 is a positive inducer of Wnt/b-catenin signaling and it acts in concert with this pathway to induce and maintain BBB properties. In vivo, inhibition of the b-catenin destruction complex or expression of a degradation-resistant b-catenin mutant, prevent the increase in permeability and retina vascular malformations observed in the absence of Sox17. Conclusions. Our data highlight a novel role for Sox17 in the induction and maintenance of the BBB and they underline the strict reciprocal tuning of this transcription factor and Wnt/b-catenin pathway. Modulation of Sox17 activity may be relevant to control BBB permeability in pathological conditions.
2019-02-12 | GSE122564 | GEO
Project description:Background: Pericytes are capillary-associated mural cells especially prominent in the central nervous system where they regulate vascular permeability and blood-brain barrier integrity. Despite their relevance for neurovascular unit homeostasis and their involvement in the pathobiology of neurodegenerative diseases, signalling mechanisms responsible for functional specialization and intercellular communication remain elusive. Objectives: The main goal of this study is to understand the relevance of Rbpj (the common downstream mediator of Notch signalling, an important mediator of cell-to-cell communication) in brain pericytes. In particular, the ChIP-Seq results aimed at the identification of genes bound to RBPJ in cultured mouse brain pericytes.
2019-05-12 | GSE120482 | GEO