Biomaterial Database

Do microglia arise from pericytes? An ultrastructural and distribution study in the rat cerebellar cortex. 1996

R A Monteiro, and E Rocha, and M M Marini-Abreu

Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, University of Oporto, Porto, Portugal.

Both pericytes and microglia are dark cells that may present similar ultrastructure as well as organization of the rough endoplasmic reticulum cisternae; in addition, images that suggest pericytes being released from the basal lamina compartment, some of them looking like forms of perivascular microglia, may be found. Anatomical articulations between pericytes and microglia are observed. A distribution analysis reveals that, in the considered five neocerebellar cortical strata, the percentage of pericytes preponderates over the percentage of microglia; furthermore, there is a highly statistically significant linear trend between the percentages of pericytes and of microglia in connection with their distribution along the cortical strata. This study suggests that, in rat cerebellar cortex, microglia may arise from pericytes. It is also hypothesized that astroglia have an active role in releasing pericytes from the vascular wall.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007150	Immunohistochemistry	Histochemical localization of immunoreactive substances using labeled antibodies as reagents.	Immunocytochemistry,Immunogold Techniques,Immunogold-Silver Techniques,Immunohistocytochemistry,Immunolabeling Techniques,Immunogold Technics,Immunogold-Silver Technics,Immunolabeling Technics,Immunogold Silver Technics,Immunogold Silver Techniques,Immunogold Technic,Immunogold Technique,Immunogold-Silver Technic,Immunogold-Silver Technique,Immunolabeling Technic,Immunolabeling Technique,Technic, Immunogold,Technic, Immunogold-Silver,Technic, Immunolabeling,Technics, Immunogold,Technics, Immunogold-Silver,Technics, Immunolabeling,Technique, Immunogold,Technique, Immunogold-Silver,Technique, Immunolabeling,Techniques, Immunogold,Techniques, Immunogold-Silver,Techniques, Immunolabeling
D008297	Male		Males
D008833	Microcirculation	The circulation of the BLOOD through the MICROVASCULAR NETWORK.	Microvascular Blood Flow,Microvascular Circulation,Blood Flow, Microvascular,Circulation, Microvascular,Flow, Microvascular Blood,Microvascular Blood Flows,Microvascular Circulations
D008853	Microscopy	The use of instrumentation and techniques for visualizing material and details that cannot be seen by the unaided eye. It is usually done by enlarging images, transmitted by light or electron beams, with optical or magnetic lenses that magnify the entire image field. With scanning microscopy, images are generated by collecting output from the specimen in a point-by-point fashion, on a magnified scale, as it is scanned by a narrow beam of light or electrons, a laser, a conductive probe, or a topographical probe.	Compound Microscopy,Hand-Held Microscopy,Light Microscopy,Optical Microscopy,Simple Microscopy,Hand Held Microscopy,Microscopy, Compound,Microscopy, Hand-Held,Microscopy, Light,Microscopy, Optical,Microscopy, Simple
D009131	Muscle, Smooth, Vascular	The nonstriated involuntary muscle tissue of blood vessels.	Vascular Smooth Muscle,Muscle, Vascular Smooth,Muscles, Vascular Smooth,Smooth Muscle, Vascular,Smooth Muscles, Vascular,Vascular Smooth Muscles
D002454	Cell Differentiation	Progressive restriction of the developmental potential and increasing specialization of function that leads to the formation of specialized cells, tissues, and organs.	Differentiation, Cell,Cell Differentiations,Differentiations, Cell
D002525	Cerebellar Cortex	The superficial GRAY MATTER of the CEREBELLUM. It consists of two main layers, the stratum moleculare and the stratum granulosum.	Cortex Cerebelli,Cerebelli, Cortex,Cerebellus, Cortex,Cortex Cerebellus,Cortex, Cerebellar
D000818	Animals	Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA.	Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D017207	Rats, Sprague-Dawley	A strain of albino rat used widely for experimental purposes because of its calmness and ease of handling. It was developed by the Sprague-Dawley Animal Company.	Holtzman Rat,Rats, Holtzman,Sprague-Dawley Rat,Rats, Sprague Dawley,Holtzman Rats,Rat, Holtzman,Rat, Sprague-Dawley,Sprague Dawley Rat,Sprague Dawley Rats,Sprague-Dawley Rats
D017628	Microglia	The third type of glial cell, along with astrocytes and oligodendrocytes (which together form the macroglia). Microglia vary in appearance depending on developmental stage, functional state, and anatomical location; subtype terms include ramified, perivascular, ameboid, resting, and activated. Microglia clearly are capable of phagocytosis and play an important role in a wide spectrum of neuropathologies. They have also been suggested to act in several other roles including in secretion (e.g., of cytokines and neural growth factors), in immunological processing (e.g., antigen presentation), and in central nervous system development and remodeling.	Microglial Cell,Cell, Microglial,Microglial Cells,Microglias