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Pericyte Biology - Novel Concepts pp 53–65Cite as

The Microvascular Pericyte: Approaches to Isolation, Characterization, and Cultivation

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Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 1109))

Abstract

The microvascular pericyte was identified in 1873 by the French scientist Charles Benjamin Rouget and originally called the Rouget cell (Rouget.Sciences 88:916–8, 1879). However, it was not until the early 1900s that Rouget’s work was confirmed, and the Rouget cell renamed the pericyte by virtue of its peri-endothelial location (Dore. Brit J Dermatol 35:398–404, 1923; Zimmermann. Z Anat Entwicklungsgesch 68:3–109, 1923). Over the years a large number of publications have emerged, but the pericyte has remained a truly enigmatic cell. This is due, in part, by the paucity of easy and reliable methods to isolate and characterize the cell as well as its heterogeneity and pluripotent characteristics. However, more recent advances in molecular genetics and development of novel cell isolation and imaging techniques have enable scientists to more readily define pericyte function. This chapter will discuss general approaches to the isolation, characterization, and propagation of primary pericytes in the establishment of cell lines. We will attempt to dispel misinterpretations about the pericyte that cloud the literature.

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Change history

  • 15 March 2019

    The author has spotted an error on page 61, in the middle of the second paragraph from bottom. The content has been revised and the corrected version is as follows:

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

    Paula Dore-Duffy & Nilufer Esen

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  1. Paula Dore-Duffy
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  2. Nilufer Esen
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Correspondence to Paula Dore-Duffy .

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  1. Department of Radiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Alexander Birbrair

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Dore-Duffy, P., Esen, N. (2018). The Microvascular Pericyte: Approaches to Isolation, Characterization, and Cultivation. In: Birbrair, A. (eds) Pericyte Biology - Novel Concepts. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 1109. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-02601-1_5

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