Online seminar: Calcium ion channels in brain pericyte signalling and blood flow control
Mural cells known as pericytes may play a role brain blood flow at the capillary level, including in neurovascular coupling and vasomotion. However, their ability to contract or dilate capillaries is currently debated. Recent morphological analysis suggests there are at least two distinct populations of pericytes, ensheathing and capillary pericytes, at different points in the vascular tree. Our research aims to disentangle the roles of these pericyte populations in brain hemodynamics by studying their calcium signalling mechanisms. We use transgenic mice with expression of genetically encoded calcium indicators (GCaMP6s and RCaMP1.07) in different pericyte populations to visualize intracellular calcium signals via two photon microscopy in brain slices and in vivo. By targeting different ion channel pathways pharmacologically, we found that ensheathing and capillary pericytes have different basal calcium pathways and different roles in hemodynamics at rest and during sensory stimulation to evoke neurovascular coupling. This work is feeding into longitudinal studies of pericytes in aging and Alzheimer鈥檚 Disease, since blood flow changes may contribute to cognitive decline and pericytes may serve as a potential therapeutic target.
This seminar will be given online via Zoom. Details in attached poster.
