1. Cell Biology
  2. Neuroscience

Pericytes control vascular stability and auditory spiral ganglion neuron survival

  1. Yunpei Zhang
  2. Lingling Neng
  3. Kushal Sharma
  4. Zhiqiang Hou
  5. Anatasiya Johnson
  6. Junha Song
  7. Alain Dabdoub
  8. Xiaorui Shi  Is a corresponding author
  1. Oregon Hearing Research Center, Department of Otolaryngology/Head & Neck Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, United States
  2. Life Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, United States
  3. Biological Sciences, Sunnybrook Research Institute, Canada
  4. Department of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, University of Toronto, Canada
  5. Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Canada
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.83486
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Cite this article
  1. Yunpei Zhang
  2. Lingling Neng
  3. Kushal Sharma
  4. Zhiqiang Hou
  5. Anatasiya Johnson
  6. Junha Song
  7. Alain Dabdoub
  8. Xiaorui Shi
(2023)
Pericytes control vascular stability and auditory spiral ganglion neuron survival
eLife 12:e83486.
https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.83486
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14 figures, 3 tables and 1 additional file

Figures

Figure 1
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Cochlear vascular networks in the spiral ganglion region are densely populated by pericytes, and spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) contains particles released by pericytes.

(a and b) Illustrations of pericyte containing microvascular networks in the spiral ganglion region. (A) A confocal projection image of the spiral lamina from an NG2DsRedBAC mouse shows pericytes …

Figure 2
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Pericyte-depletion induces vascular regression in the region of spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) peripheral nerve fibers in adult mice.

(A) Schematic of a pericyte-depletion mouse model incorporating an inducible Cre-loxP system. (B) The diagram shows the timeline of tamoxifen and diphtheria toxin (DT) administration and the time …

Figure 3
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The depletion of pericytes led to hearing loss, increased latency and reduced amplitude of wave I.

(A) The control mice showed no significant hearing threshold change after diphtheria toxin (DT) injection (n=10, p=0.9651). In contrast, the hearing threshold in pericyte-depleted animals was …

Figure 4
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The depletion of pericytes led to spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) loss and decreased expression of β-III tubulin in SGNs.

(A) Representative confocal images from control and pericyte-depleted animals, labeled with antibody for β-III tubulin. (B) Significant SGN loss at all turns 2 wk after diphtheria toxin (DT) …

Figure 5
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Pericytes promote both vascular and neuronal growth in spiral ganglia in vitro.

(A) The 20 most significant overrepresented PANTHER pathways for genes (RPKM>0.5) identified in cochlear pericytes. (B) Neonatal spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) explants co-cultured with pericytes show …

Figure 6
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Identification of pericyte-derived exosomes.

(A) Schematic of the exosome purification procedure used to isolate exosomes from pericyte-conditioned culture medium for nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), transmission electron microscopy …

Figure 6—source data 1

Protein families of cochlear pericyte-derived exosomes identified by proteomics analysis.

https://cdn.elifesciences.org/articles/83486/elife-83486-fig6-data1-v2.xlsx
Figure 7
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Pericytes release VEGFA through exosomes.

(A) mRNA expression of VEGF-A in primary cochlear pericytes. (B) VEGF-A production assessed by ELISA at day 3 in the control and pericyte containing culture medium (n=6, p<0.0001, unpaired t test). …

Figure 7—source data 1

Original uncropped blots of VEGFA and PDGFR-β, and raw gel data of whole protein staining with the relevant bands clearly labeled.

https://cdn.elifesciences.org/articles/83486/elife-83486-fig7-data1-v2.zip
Figure 7—source data 2

Original uncropped blots of VEGFA and PDGFR-β, and raw gel data of whole protein staining with the relevant bands clearly labeled.

https://cdn.elifesciences.org/articles/83486/elife-83486-fig7-data2-v2.pdf
Figure 8
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VEGFR2 expression in the spiral ganglion region.

(A–C) Representative confocal images of a cochlear whole mount under low (A) and high (B and C) magnification. (D) Cross section showing VEGFR2 (red) is positively expressed in both spiral ganglion …

Figure 9
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Pericyte-derived exosomes promote angiogenesis and spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) growth through VEGFR2 signaling.

(A) Exosomes were purified from pericyte-conditioned media using total exosome isolation reagent for in vitro treatment. (B) Compared to the control group, exosome treated SGN explants showed robust …

Figure 10
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Neuronal dendritic growth is reduced when VEGFR2 is blocked in a pericyte-spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) explant co-culture model.

(A) Representative images showing the pattern of SGN dendritic growth under different experimental conditions. (B and C) Number and length of dendritic fibers when the VEGFR2 receptor is blocked. A …

Figure 11
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Hypothesized mechanisms of pericyte-mediated effects on spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) growth and survival.

(A) Under normal conditions, pericytes participate in the maintenance of SGN health through two parallel pathways: (1) One maintains vascular stability and function and (2) the other ‘nourishes’ …

Figure 12
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Schematic of dissection and culture of spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) explants and method of quantitative analysis of neural dendritic growth in a P2 neonatal mouse cochlea over the course of 5 d in culture.

(A and B) The cochlear middle turns were dissected out, stria vascularis and organ of Corti discarded, and the remaining SGN cut into three 90° fan-shaped pieces. These were attached to a coated …

Appendix 1—figure 1
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The anatomy and blood supply of cochlea.

Two major microvascular networks in the cochlea include the network in the cochlear lateral wall and network in the region of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs)-blood vessels penetrate the SGNs and …

Appendix 1—figure 2
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Pericyte depletion in the retina does not affect the blood vessels in adult animals.

Scale bar: 50 µm.

Tables

Table 1
Overrepresented PANTHER pathways for genes (RPKM>0.5) identified in cochlear pericytes.
No.PANTHER pathways% of gene in the list−Log10 (FDR (false discovery rate))
Mus musculus (REF)Pericyte
1Inflammation mediated by chemokine and cytokine signaling pathway1.1819795.07246414.88941
2CCKR signaling map0.741013.80434813.30277
3Angiogenesis0.8137473.71376811.61261
4Heterotrimeric G-protein signaling pathway-Gq alpha and Go alpha mediated pathway0.5546212.7173918.9914
5Heterotrimeric G-protein signaling pathway-Gi alpha and Gs alpha mediated pathway0.7228262.989138.364516
6Wnt signaling pathway1.4183754.2572468.073658
7Gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor pathway1.0683273.6231888.066513
8T cell activation0.4091472.1739137.876148
9Apoptosis signaling pathway0.5637132.4456527.314258
10Endothelin signaling pathway0.3773241.9927547.218245
11B cell activation0.3227711.8115946.931814
12VEGF signaling pathway0.3045871.6304355.958607
13Oxytocin receptor mediated signaling pathway0.2727641.4492755.242604
14Histamine H1 receptor mediated signaling pathway0.2091191.2681165.136677
15PI3 kinase pathway0.2454881.3586965.135489
16Thyrotropin-releasing hormone receptor signaling pathway0.2864031.4492755.086716
17Alzheimer disease-presenilin pathway0.5773511.9927544.640165
18Integrin signaling pathway0.8637542.4456524.315155
19Alzheimer disease-amyloid secretase pathway0.3000411.3586964.308919
205HT2 type receptor mediated signaling pathway0.3091331.3586964.194499
21Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor 1 and 3 signaling pathway0.2727641.2681164.154902
22PDGF signaling pathway0.6500891.9927544.017277
23Heterotrimeric G-protein signaling pathway-rod outer segment phototransduction0.1772970.9963773.886057
24EGF receptor signaling pathway0.6182661.9021743.882729
25Interleukin signaling pathway0.3955081.4492753.721246
26Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor 2 and 4 signaling pathway0.2727641.1775363.636388
27FGF signaling pathway0.5546211.7210143.603801
28Cytoskeletal regulation by Rho GTPase0.3636861.3586963.595166
29Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor signaling pathway0.4500611.4492753.19382
30p53 pathway feedback loops 20.2273040.9963773.157391
31ATP synthesis0.0318230.4528993.123782
32Axon guidance mediated by netrin0.1591130.8152173.010105
33Beta1 adrenergic receptor signaling pathway0.2091190.9057972.886057
34Enkephalin release0.1682050.8152172.882729
35GABA-B receptor II signaling0.1682050.8152172.869666
36Metabotropic glutamate receptor group II pathway0.2136650.9057972.832683
37Insulin/IGF pathway-protein kinase B signaling cascade0.1772970.8152172.772113
38Blood coagulation0.2363960.9057972.551294
39FAS signaling pathway0.1545670.7246382.522879
40Nicotine pharmacodynamics pathway0.1591130.7246382.462181
41Dopamine receptor mediated signaling pathway0.254580.9057972.376751
42Beta2 adrenergic receptor signaling pathway0.2091190.8152172.366532
43Alpha adrenergic receptor signaling pathway0.104560.5434782.095284
44Axon guidance mediated by Slit/Robo0.1136520.5434781.978811
45TGF-beta signaling pathway0.4591541.1775361.978811
46p53 pathway0.4000551.0869571.974694
47Androgen/estrogene/progesterone biosynthesis0.0772830.4528991.970616
48Endogenous cannabinoid signaling0.1136520.5434781.970616
49Cortocotropin releasing factor receptor signaling pathway0.1545670.6340581.970616
50Histamine H2 receptor mediated signaling pathway0.1181980.5434781.931814
515HT1 type receptor mediated signaling pathway0.2091190.7246381.910095
52Opioid proopiomelanocortin pathway0.1682050.6340581.853872
53Hypoxia response via HIF activation0.127290.5434781.821023
54TCA cycle0.0545530.3623191.754487
55Cadherin signaling pathway0.7364641.5398551.686133
56Pyruvate metabolism0.0590990.3623191.669586
57Triacylglycerol metabolism0.0090920.1811591.446117
58Opioid prodynorphin pathway0.1636590.5434781.407823
59Opioid proenkephalin pathway0.1727510.5434781.321482
Table 1—source data 1

Gene list of cochlear pericytes identified by RNA-seq analysis.

https://cdn.elifesciences.org/articles/83486/elife-83486-table1-data1-v2.xlsx
Table 2
Common protein markers for exosomes were identified in the pericyte-derived exosomes.
ProteinGene names# PSMsLog2 LFQ (label-free quantitation) intensity
CD81 antigenCd812629.6153
CD63 antigenCd63326.1908
CD9 antigenCd91629.2576
Tumor susceptibility gene 101Tsg101525.7598
Key resources table
Reagent type (species) or resourceDesignationSource or referenceIdentifiersAdditional information
Strain, strain background (Mus musculus)C57BL/6JThe Jackson LaboratoryRRID:IMSR_JAX:000664
Strain, strain background (M. musculus)B6.Cg-Gt(ROSA)26Sortm9(CAG-tdTomato)Hze/JThe Jackson LaboratoryRRID:IMSR_JAX:007909
Strain, strain background (M. musculus)B6.Cg-Tg(Pdgfrb-cre/ERT2)6096Rha/JThe Jackson LaboratoryRRID:IMSR_JAX:029684
Strain, strain background (M. musculus)C57BL/6-Gt(ROSA)26Sortm1(HBEGF)Awai/JThe Jackson LaboratoryRRID:IMSR_JAX:007900
Strain, strain background (M. musculus)Tg(Cspg4-DsRed.T1)1Akik/JThe Jackson LaboratoryRRID:IMSR_JAX:008241
Antibodyanti-Desmin [Y66] (Rabbit monoclonal)AbcamCat#: ab323621:50
Antibodyanti-β-III Tubulin [EP1569Y] (Rabbit monoclonal)AbcamCat#: ab526231:200
Antibodyanti-CD31 [MEC 7.46] (Rat monoclonal)AbcamCat#: ab73881:100
Antibodyanti-VEGFR2 [EPR21884-236] (Rabbit monoclonal)AbcamCat#: ab2336931:500
Antibodyanti-VEGFA (Rabbit polyclonal)AbcamCat#: ab517451:400
Antibodyanti-PDGFRβ [Y92] (Rabbit monoclonal)AbcamCat#: ab325701:1000-1:5000
Sequence-based reagentB6.Cg-Tg(Pdgfrb-cre/ERT2)6096Rha/J FThe Jackson LaboratoryPCR primersGAA CTG TCA CCG GGA GGA
Sequence-based reagentB6.Cg-Tg(Pdgfrb-cre/ERT2)6096Rha/J RThe Jackson LaboratoryPCR primersAGG CAA ATT TTG GTG TAC GG
Sequence-based reagentB6.Cg-Tg(Pdgfrb-cre/ERT2)6096Rha/J internal positive control FThe Jackson LaboratoryPCR primersCAA ATG TTG CTT GTC TGG TG
Sequence-based reagentB6.Cg-Tg(Pdgfrb-cre/ERT2)6096Rha/J internal positive control RThe Jackson LaboratoryPCR primersGTC AGT CGA GTG CAC AGT TT
Sequence-based reagentMouse VEGFA FIDTPCR primersGCAGCGACAAGGCAGACTA
Sequence-based reagentMouse VEGFA RIDTPCR primersGGTCCGATGCAAGATCCCAA
Peptide, recombinant proteinDiphtheria toxinSigmaCat#: D056410 ng/g body weight
Peptide, recombinant proteinDispase IISigmaCat#: D4693
Peptide, recombinant proteinCollagenase IThermoFisherCat#: 17018029
Peptide, recombinant proteinDNase ISigmaCat#: 10104159001
Peptide, recombinant protein100× Penicillin-Streptomycin SolutionInvitrogen/GibcoCat#: 15140–122
Commercial assay or kitInvitrogen Total Exosome Isolation Reagent (from cell culture media)ThermoFisherCat#: 4478359
Commercial assay or kitSuperSignal West Femto Duration SubstrateThermo Fisher ScientificCat#: A38554
Commercial assay or kitClontech SMARTer cDNA kitClontech LaboratoriesCat#: 634925
Commercial assay or kitNEBNext reagentsNew England BiolabsCat#: E6040
Commercial assay or kitRNeasy micro kitQiagenCat#: 74004
Commercial assay or kitSuperScript IV First-Strand Synthesis kitThermoFisherCat#: 18091050
Commercial assay or kitVEGFA ELISA KitAbcamCat#: ab119565
Commercial assay or kitBCA protein assay kitAbcamCat#: ab102536
Commercial assay or kitExoGlow-Protein EV Labeling Kit (Green)SBICat#: EXOGP300A-1
Chemical compound and drugTamoxifenSigmaCat#: T564875 mg/kg body weight
Chemical compound and drugSU5408AbcamCat#: ab145888
Software and algorithmSample Size CalculatorN/Ahttps://clincalc.com/stats/samplesize.aspx
Software and algorithmImageJNIHhttps://imagej.nih.gov/ij/
Software and algorithmPANTHER classification systemN/Ahttp://www.pantherdb.org/
Software and algorithmREVIGORuđer Bošković Institutehttp://revigo.irb.hr/
OtherLectin-DyLight 488Vector LaboratoriesCat#: DL-117420 μg/ml
OtherLectin-DyLight 649Vector LaboratoriesCat#: DL-117820 μg/ml
OtherDecal Stat DecalcifierStatLabCat#: 1212–32Use directly (contains Hydrogen Chloride, Acid mists, strong inorganic)
OtherAntifade Mounting Medium with DAPIVector LaboratoriesCat#: H-1200Use directly (contains 1 μg/ml of DAPI)

Additional files

MDAR checklist
https://cdn.elifesciences.org/articles/83486/elife-83486-mdarchecklist1-v2.docx

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