Cerebral Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Cerebral Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Introduction

<table class="infobox infobox-cell">
<tr>
<th class="infobox-header" colspan="2">Cerebral Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Taxonomy</td>
<td>ID</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Cell Ontology (CL)</td>
<td>[CL:0000359](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ols4/ontologies/cl/classes/http%253A%252F%252Fpurl.obolibrary.org%252Fobo%252FCL_0000359)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Database</td>
<td>ID</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Cell Ontology</td>
<td>[CL:0000359](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ols4/ontologies/cl/classes/http%253A%252F%252Fpurl.obolibrary.org%252Fobo%252FCL_0000359)</td>
</tr>
</table>

Cerebral Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells is an important component in the neurobiology of neurodegenerative diseases. This page provides detailed information about its structure, function, and role in disease processes.

Overview

Cerebral Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Introduction

<table class="infobox infobox-cell">
<tr>
<th class="infobox-header" colspan="2">Cerebral Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Taxonomy</td>
<td>ID</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Cell Ontology (CL)</td>
<td>[CL:0000359](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ols4/ontologies/cl/classes/http%253A%252F%252Fpurl.obolibrary.org%252Fobo%252FCL_0000359)</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Database</td>
<td>ID</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="label">Cell Ontology</td>
<td>[CL:0000359](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ols4/ontologies/cl/classes/http%253A%252F%252Fpurl.obolibrary.org%252Fobo%252FCL_0000359)</td>
</tr>
</table>

Cerebral Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells is an important component in the neurobiology of neurodegenerative diseases. This page provides detailed information about its structure, function, and role in disease processes.

Overview

This page provides comprehensive information about the cell type. See the content below for detailed information. [@zlokovic2011]

Cerebral vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs) line the walls of arterioles, arteries, and larger cerebral vessels. They are essential for cerebrovascular function, blood flow regulation, and maintenance of the blood-brain barrier. Dysfunction of vSMCs contributes to vascular cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative diseases. [@chui2012]

<!-- taxonomy-enrichment -->

<!-- multi-taxonomy-enrichment -->

Multi-Taxonomy Classification

Taxonomy Database Cross-References

PanglaoDB Marker Cross-References

• Unknown (PanglaoDB):

External Database Links

• [Cell Ontology (CL:0000359)](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ols4/ontologies/cl/classes/http%253A%252F%252Fpurl.obolibrary.org%252Fobo%252FCL_0000359)
• [OBO Foundry (CL:0000359)](http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/CL_0000359)
• [Allen Brain Cell Atlas](https://portal.brain-map.org/atlases-and-data/bkp/abc-atlas)
• [CellxGene Census](https://cellxgene.cziscience.com/)
• [Human Cell Atlas](https://www.humancellatlas.org/)
• [PanglaoDB](https://panglaodb.se/)

Taxonomy & Classification

PanglaoDB Marker Cross-References

• Unknown (PanglaoDB):

External Database Links

• [Cell Ontology (CL:0000359)](https://www.ebi.ac.uk/ols4/ontologies/cl/classes/http%253A%252F%252Fpurl.obolibrary.org%252Fobo%252FCL_0000359)
• [OBO Foundry (CL:0000359)](http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/CL_0000359)
• [Allen Brain Cell Atlas](https://portal.brain-map.org/atlases-and-data/bkp/abc-atlas)
• [CellxGene Census](https://cellxgene.cziscience.com/)
• [PanglaoDB](https://panglaodb.se/)

Location and Types

Arterial Smooth Muscle

• Pial arterioles - Surface brain vessels
• Parenchymal arterioles - Penetrating vessels
• Arterial tree - Circle of Willis branches

Specialized Features

• Myogenic response capability
• Autonomic innervation
• Endothelial interaction
• Pericyte coverage at capillary level

Molecular Characteristics

Markers

• α-SMA (ACTA2) - Smooth muscle actin
• SM22α (TAGLN) - Transgelin
• SM-MHC (MYH11) - Myosin heavy chain
• Calponin (CNN1) - Actin-binding protein
• SMMHC - Smooth muscle myosin heavy chain

Functions

• Vasoconstriction (endothelin-1, norepinephrine)
• Vasodilation (NO, prostaglandins)
• Blood flow regulation
• Vascular tone maintenance

Role in Neurodegeneration

Vascular Cognitive Impairment

• Small vessel disease involvement
• White matter hyperintensities
• Lacunar infarcts contribution
• Cognitive decline mechanisms

Alzheimer's Disease

• Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA)
• Reduced cerebral blood flow
• [Blood-brain barrier](/entities/blood-brain-barrier) dysfunction
• Vascular risk factor mediation

Other Neurodegenerative Diseases

• [Parkinson's](/diseases/parkinsons-disease): Cerebrovascular changes
• CADASIL: Notch3 mutations in vSMCs
• Amyloid angiopathy: [Aβ](/proteins/amyloid-beta) accumulation in vessel walls

Pathology

Degenerative Changes

• Smooth muscle cell loss
• Hyperplasia (proliferative changes)
• Extracellular matrix deposition
• Calcification

Dysfunctional Features

• Impaired autoregulation
• Reduced vasodilation capacity
• Increased vascular stiffness
• Endothelial dysfunction communication

Therapeutic Targets

Vascular Protection

Disease-Modifying Approaches

• Amyloid clearance for CAA
• Notch3 targeting for CADASIL
• Anti-inflammatory strategies

Background

The study of Cerebral Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells has evolved significantly over the past decades. Research in this area has revealed important insights into the underlying mechanisms of neurodegeneration and continues to drive therapeutic development.

Historical context and key discoveries in this field have shaped our current understanding and will continue to guide future research directions.

External Links

• [PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) - Biomedical literature
• [Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative](https://adni.loni.usc.edu/) - Research data
• [Allen Brain Atlas](https://brain-map.org/) - Brain gene expression data