Characterization of Mural Cell Subtypes in the Developing Human Brain
Kealohilani Kyle
Department of Biology
Faculty Supervisor: Lily Chen
Vascular development in the human brain starts during the first trimester of pregnancy and encompasses two cell types: endothelial cells (blood vessel lumen) and mural cells (structural support). Within murals, there are two subtypes: pericytes and smooth muscle cells (SMC). While endothelial are well-characterized, less is known about mural cells. Single-cell RNA sequencing suggests a mural cell progenitor population that gives rise to mural cell subtypes. In this study, we use immunostaining (IHC) and RNAscope to characterize mural cell subtypes in the human brain. While IHC reveals regional expression of subtypes and vessel coverage between the cortex and ganglionic eminence (GE), RNAscope profiles the expression patterns of proliferative and non-proliferative pericytes based on the inverse expression of SLC19A1 and KI67. Implying that SLC19A1 may be a marker for maturity or subtype specificity. In identifying the mural precursor population, we hope that this will be used to inform the development of cell-based therapies for Germinal Matrix Hemorrhage (GMH) - a neonatal brain bleed thought to result from a deficiency of mural cells in the germinal matrix, exacerbated by rapid angiogenesis.