Figure 10.

Tube-forming ability of cerebromicrovascular endothelial cells (CMVECs) isolated from aged F344 × BN rats is impaired compared with that of cells isolated from young F344 × BN rats, and it is significantly improved by overexpression (o.e.) of Dicer. In contrast, disruption of Dicer-dependent pathways by siRNA knockdown of Dicer (siDicer) significantly impairs the ability of young CMVECs to form capillary-like structures, mimicking the aging phenotype. CMVECs were plated on Geltrex matrix-coated wells, and tube formation was induced by treating cells with vascular endothelial growth factor (100ng/mL, for 24h). Representative examples of capillary-like structures are shown in Panel A. Summary data, expressed as total tube length per total area scanned (µm tube/mm²), are shown in Panel B. Data are means ± SEM (n = 5 in each group), *p < .05 vs control.