Fig. 8: Vessel-associated ATP released from pannexin1 (PANX1) attracts microglial cell bodies to capillaries through P2RY12 to regulate homeostatic cerebrovascular physiology. | Nature Communications

Fig. 8: Vessel-associated ATP released from pannexin1 (PANX1) attracts microglial cell bodies to capillaries through P2RY12 to regulate homeostatic cerebrovascular physiology.

From: Capillary-associated microglia regulate vascular structure and function through PANX1-P2RY12 coupling in mice

Fig. 8

a A cartoon depicting the neurovascular unit consisting of astrocytes (ACs), pericytes (PCs), microglial cells (MGs), neurons, and the associated vasculature. The black box indicates a zoomed-in region depicted in (b), showing microglial expression of the P2RY12 and capillary expression of the ATP permeable integral membrane protein PANX1. c P2RY12–PAN1 coupling mediate microglial interactions with the vasculature, where those microglia whose cell bodies reside on the vasculature are referred to as capillary-associated microglia (CAMs). Knockout of PANX1, microglial depletion with PLX3397, or knockout of the P2RY12 as depicted in (d) all lead to (e), reduced CAM interactions, increased capillary diameter and cerebral blood flow, and an impaired vasodilatory response to carbon dioxide (CO2).

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