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. 2022 Apr 8;11(8):1263. doi: 10.3390/cells11081263

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© 2022 by the authors.

Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

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Pericytes support the disruption of the NVU during metastasis. (A) A consecutive process of rolling, adhesion, and transendothelial migration of circulating tumor cells results in the extravasation of the metastatic breast cancer cells. (B) Tumor and astrocyte-secreted VEGF contributes to vessel co-option. PDGF-BB secreted by the metastatic tumor cells mediates displacement of pericytes and their relocation towards the co-opted and newly formed blood vessels. (C) Transformation of the tumor cells into endothelial-like cells allows the formation of the vascular mimicry vessels. Pericytes migrate towards these newly formed leaky vascular mimicry vessels and stabilize them.