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RGS5 expression is a quantitative measure of pericyte coverage of blood vessels

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Abstract

Pericytes play a key role in the process of vascular maturation and stabilization however, the current methods for quantifying pericyte coverage of the neovasculature are laborious and subjective in nature. In this study, we have developed an objective, sensitive, and high-throughput method for quantifying pericyte coverage of angiogenic vessels by analyzing the expression of the pericyte-specific gene, the regulator of G-protein signaling 5 (RGS5). We determined that RGS5 expression was up-regulated during a defined developmental time period in which nascent vessel sprouts acquired a pericyte covering. Furthermore, RGS5 expression was dramatically reduced in vessels with poor pericyte coverage compared to normal angiogenic vasculature. Finally, we determined that the susceptibility of nascent vessels to regression by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibition was significantly reduced following RGS5 up-regulation, further implicating RGS5 in pericyte-endothelial cell interactions and the vascular maturation process. These studies establish the use of RGS5 gene expression as a quantitative and robust measure of pericyte coverage of neovasculature. This method provides a tool for vascular biologists studying pericyte-endothelial cell interactions and vascular maturation in both normal and pathological conditions, such as diabetic retinopathy and cancer.

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Abbreviations

nRGS5:

PECAM1-Normalized Regulator of G-protein signaling 5

PDGF-B:

Platelet-derived growth factor-B

PDGFRβ:

Platelet-derived growth factor receptor β

RGS5:

Regulator of G-protein signaling 5

SMA:

Smooth muscle actin

VEGF:

Vascular endothelial growth factor, vascular permeability factor

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Elise Daly, Andrea DeErkenez, Sofia Ioannidou, Meihua Ju, Dominik Krilleke, Carolina Mailhos, and Vladimir Mastyugin for helpful discussions. The authors thank Omar DelGado and Meihua Ju for assistance with CoNV model generation and Laurette Burgess, Eva Skokanova, and Hongfeng Ma for exceptional animal care and assistance with tissue harvesting. Lastly, the authors thank Lori Mullin and Michael Gee for Taqman support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. OSI Eyetech, 35 Hartwell Avenue, Lexington, MA, 02421, USA

    Tracy S. Mitchell, John Bradley, Gregory S. Robinson, David T. Shima & Yin-Shan Ng

  2. Adnexus Therapeutics, 100 Beaver Street, Waltham, MA, 02453, USA

    Tracy S. Mitchell

  3. Institute for Nutrisciences and Health, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, PE, Canada, C1A 4P3

    John Bradley

  4. Shire HGT, 700 Main Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Gregory S. Robinson

  5. The Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London, 11-43 Bath Street, London, EC1V 9EL, UK

    David T. Shima

  6. Pervasis Therapeutics, One Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA

    Yin-Shan Ng

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  1. Tracy S. Mitchell
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  2. John Bradley
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  3. Gregory S. Robinson
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Correspondence to Gregory S. Robinson.

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Mitchell, T.S., Bradley, J., Robinson, G.S. et al. RGS5 expression is a quantitative measure of pericyte coverage of blood vessels. Angiogenesis 11, 141–151 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10456-007-9085-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10456-007-9085-x

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