Table 1.

Cell marker for brain pericytes.

Pericytes Markers	Other Cells Stained in the Brain	Comments	Refs.
Cytosolic markers
α-SMA (alpha-smooth muscle actin)	vSMCs	Contractile and cytosketetal proteins; expression in brain pericytes along the micro-vessels is controversial.	[36, 38]
RGS5 (regulator of G protein signaling 5)	vSMCs	GTPase activating protein; involved inproliferation and recruitment of pericytes during angiogenesis.	[164]
Desmin	vSMCs	Cytosketetal proteins.	[35]
Membrane bound markers
PDGFR-β(plateletderived growth factor receptor-beta)	Neurons; neuronal progenitors	A tyrosine kinase receptor involved in important function of pericytes; most frequently used and best characterized.	[165]
NG2 (neuron-glial 2)	vSMCs; neuronal progenitors, oligodendrocyte progenitors	Integral membrane chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan; broadly expressed in activated pericytes during development and in the adult under both physiological and pathological conditions.	[34]
CD13 (aminopeptidasesN)	vSMCs; endothelium	Type II membrane zinc-dependent metalloprotease.	[166]
Kir6.1 (potassium inwardly Rectifyingchannel)	vSMCs	ATP-sensitive potassium-channel; implicated in ion transport and intercellular signaling; highly expressed in brain pericytes.	[167]
Transgenic markers
NG2-DsRed	vSMCs; oligodendrocyte progenitors	BAC-transgene, reposited in the Jackson Laboratory, stock #008241.	[168]
RGS5-GFP NG2-creER-eGFP	vSMC vSMCs	GFP+ pericytes co-expressed PDGFR-β and CD13, but not α-SMA. Reposited in the Jackson Laboratory, stock #008533.	[85] [48]
NG2/PDGFRβ-Cre-tdTomato	vSMCs	NG2-tdTomato line is inducible, whereas PDGFRβ-tdTomato line expressed tdTomato constitutively.	[32]