Table 4.
Commonly used pericyte markers
| Marker | Gene symbol | Description | Example of other cell types expressing the marker | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alpha-smooth muscle actin (αSMA) | ACTA2 | Cytoskeletal contractile protein; quiescent pericytes do not express αSMA; expression in pericytes is commonly upregulated in tumors and during inflammation. | Smooth muscle, myofibroblasts, myoepithelium. | [20, 95, 99, 191] |
| Aminopeptidase N (AP-N) or CD13 and Aminopeptidase A (AP-A; alanyl membrane aminopeptidase) | ANPEP | Membrane zinc-dependent metalloprotease; expression increased in vasculature of tumors and wound healing tissue as compared with normal resting tissues. | vSMCs, inflamed and tumor endothelium, myeloid cells, epithelial cells in the kidney, gut; useful marker for brain pericytes. | [104, 105, 192] |
| Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) or Tissue-Nonspecific ALP (TN-ALP) | ALPL | Membrane-bound glycosylated enzyme; plays a role in bone mineralization. Cell membranes of many cell types have ALP activity, however in skeletal muscle only pericytes and endothelial cells express ALP. | Undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells, cancer cells and osteoblasts have elevated levels. | [20, 91, 95, 109] |
| Desmin (DES) | DESMIN | Intermediate filament protein; predominantly expressed in muscle cells. | Skeletal, cardiac, smooth muscle. Useful pericyte marker outside skeletal muscle and heart. | [20, 100] |
| Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4) or Neuron-glial antigen 2 (NG2) | HMW-MMA or NG2 in mice | Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan; involved in cell survival, migration and angiogenesis; expression differs e.g., only arteriolar, but not venular pericytes are positive for NG2. | Developing cartilage, adipocytes, vSMCs, neuronal progenitors, oligodendrocyte progenitors, mesenchymal stem cells, osteoblasts, melanocytes, smooth muscle cells and macrophages | [20, 101, 102, 193] |
| Platelet-derived growth factor receptor-beta | PDGFR-β | Receptor tyrosine kinase; plays a role in pericyte recruitment during angiogenesis; useful marker for brain pericytes. | Interstitial mesenchymal cells during development; smooth muscle; in the CNS certain neurons and neuronal progenitors; myofibroblasts; mesenchymal stem cells. | [20, 95, 103] |
| Paternally Expressed 3 (PEG3) or PW1/PEG3 | PEG3 | Zinc finger protein; involved in cell proliferation and p53-mediated apoptosis; involved in pericyte migration across the vessel wall. | Expressed in various progenitor/stem cells in all adult tissues, including the intestine, blood, testis, CNS, bone, skeletal muscle, and skin. | [194] |
| RGS5 (regulator of G protein signaling 5) Rgs5 | RGS5 | GTPase-activating protein. | Heart (cardiomyocytes), lung, skeletal muscle and small intestine (vSMCs), and at lower levels in brain, placenta, liver colon, and leukocyte. | [106, 107, 195] |