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Pericytes in sarcomas of bone

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Abstract

Pericytes are mesenchymal cells that closely enwrap small blood vessels, lying in intimate association with the endothelium. Pericytes have recently gained attention as an important mediator of vascular biology and angiogenesis in cancer. Although better studied in carcinoma, pericytes have known interaction with sarcomas of bone, including Ewing’s sarcoma, osteosarcoma, and chondrosarcoma. Best studied is Ewing’s sarcoma (ES), which displays a prominent perivascular growth pattern. Signaling pathways of known importance in intratumoral pericytes in ES include Notch, PDGF/PDGFR-β, and VEGF signaling. In summary, pericytes serve important functions in the tumor microenvironment. Improved understanding of pericyte biology may hold significant implications for the development of new therapies in sarcoma.

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Acknowledgments

The present work was supported by the UCLA Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, the UCLA Daljit S. and Elaine Sarkaria Fellowship award, and the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation with funding provided by the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation. The authors thank A. S. James for his excellent technical assistance.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, 10833 Le Conte Ave., 13-145 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Le Chang, Vi Nguyen, Alan Nguyen & Aaron W. James

  2. Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA

    Michelle A. Scott

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  1. Le Chang
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  2. Vi Nguyen
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  3. Alan Nguyen
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  5. Aaron W. James
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Correspondence to Aaron W. James.

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Chang, L., Nguyen, V., Nguyen, A. et al. Pericytes in sarcomas of bone. Med Oncol 32, 202 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12032-015-0651-6

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