Molecular Parallels between Neural and Vascular Development
- Anne Eichmann1,2 and
- Jean-Léon Thomas3,4,5,6
- 1Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology, CNRS/UMR 7241-INSERM U1050, Collège de France, 75005 Paris, France
- 2Cardiovascular Research Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06510-3221
- 3University Pierre et Marie Curie-Paris 6, Centre de Recherche de l'Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, UMR S975, Paris 75651, France
- 4INSERM, U975, Paris 75651, France
- 5CNRS, UMR 7225, Paris 75651, France
- 6Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06511
- Correspondence: anne.eichmann{at}yale.edu
Abstract
The human central nervous system (CNS) features a network of ∼400 miles of blood vessels that receives >20% of the body’s cardiac output and uses most of its blood glucose. Many human diseases, including stroke, retinopathy, and cancer, are associated with the biology of CNS blood vessels. These vessels originate from extrinsic cell populations, including endothelial cells and pericytes that colonize the CNS and interact with glia and neurons to establish the blood–brain barrier and control cerebrovascular exchanges. Neurovascular interactions also play important roles in adult neurogenic niches, which harbor a unique population of neural stem cells that are intimately associated with blood vessels. We here review the cellular and molecular mechanisms required to establish the CNS vascular network, with a special focus on neurovascular interactions and the functions of vascular endothelial growth factors.
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