PDGF-B Protein
<table class="infobox infobox-protein">
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<th class="infobox-header" colspan="2">PDGF-B Protein</th>
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<td class="label">Symbol</td>
<td><strong>PDGFB</strong></td>
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<td class="label">Full Name</td>
<td>PDGF-B</td>
</tr>
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<td class="label">Type</td>
<td>Protein</td>
</tr>
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<td class="label">UniProt</td>
<td><a href="https://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/?query=PDGFB" target="_blank">Search UniProt</a></td>
</tr>
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<td class="label">Associated Diseases</td>
<td><a href="/wiki/als" style="color:#ef9a9a">ALS</a>, <a href="/wiki/aging" style="color:#ef9a9a">Aging</a>, <a href="/wiki/als" style="color:#ef9a9a">Als</a>, <a href="/wiki/basal-ganglia-calcifications" style="color:#ef9a9a">Basal Ganglia Calcifications</a>, <a href="/wiki/fahr's-disease" style="color:#ef9a9a">Fahr's Disease</a></td>
</tr>
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<td class="label">KG Connections</td>
<td><a href="/atlas" style="color:#4fc3f7">48 edges</a></td>
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</table>
.infobox .infobox-protein
!!! Info
- Protein Name: Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Subunit B (PDGF-B)
- Gene: [PDGFB](/genes/pdgfb)
- UniProt: [P01127](https://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/P01127)
- Primary Receptor Bias: [PDGFR-Beta Protein](/proteins/pdgfrb-protein)
- Subcellular Localization: Secreted extracellular growth factor
- Functional Axis: Pericyte recruitment, neurovascular stability, repair signaling
PDGF-B Protein
Overview
PDGF-B is a key PDGF ligand subunit that forms PDGF-BB homodimers or PDGF-AB heterodimers and strongly activates PDGFRB-dependent signaling.[@andrae2008][@tallquist2004] In the CNS, this axis is foundational for pericyte recruitment, blood-brain barrier (BBB) maturation, and neurovascular homeostasis.[@bell2010][@bell2010a] Because neurovascular failure is now recognized as an early and amplifying driver of cognitive and motor decline, PDGF-B has become a high-value mechanistic node in neurodegeneration research.[@nation2019][@bell2020]
Structure And Receptor Coupling
PDGF-B is synthesized as a secreted dimerizing growth factor with receptor-binding surfaces that permit potent activation of PDGFRB-containing receptor complexes.[@andrae2008][@tallquist2004] Relative to PDGF-A, PDGF-B has stronger pericyte-vascular biology coupling and is therefore more directly linked to BBB integrity and small-vessel resilience in adult brain.[@bell2010][@bell2010a]
This receptor bias is central for translational planning: PDGF-B hypotheses are most defensible where vascular leakage, capillary rarefaction, or pericyte dysfunction contributes to disease progression.
Core Biology In Brain Systems
Pericyte recruitment and vessel stabilization
Seminal developmental work showed that PDGF-B/PDGFRB signaling is required for proper pericyte coverage and BBB formation.[@bell2010] Experimental loss of pericyte support produces endothelial dysfunction, barrier leak, and secondary neuronal stress signatures.[@bell2010][@bell2010a]
Adult neurovascular maintenance
In aging brain, reduced pericyte support or signaling inefficiency contributes to BBB permeability, altered neurovascular coupling, and inflammatory amplification.[@bell2010a][@nation2019] PDGF-B sits upstream of many of these changes via trophic support of mural-cell populations.
Repair-permissive microenvironment signaling
Beyond vessel stabilization, PDGF-BB can shift local tissue states toward survival and repair programs in injury models, including dopaminergic lesion paradigms relevant to [Parkinson's disease](/diseases/parkinsons-disease).[@funa2016]
PDGF-B In Neurodegenerative Disease Contexts
Alzheimer's disease and mixed dementias
Human biomarker and imaging studies indicate BBB dysfunction is an early event in cognitive decline trajectories, and pericyte-injury signatures correlate with disease progression.[@nation2019][@bell2020] PDGF-B biology is mechanistically upstream of this phenotype, making it relevant for disease stratification and therapeutic design where neurovascular dysfunction co-occurs with amyloid/tau pathology.
Parkinson's disease
Clinical translation has progressed furthest in PD, where intracerebroventricular PDGF-BB dosing has shown feasibility and acceptable early safety in small human studies.[@paul2015] Preclinical data in 6-OHDA paradigms further support neurorestorative effects and pericyte-modulating actions.[@funa2016] Current evidence is still early-phase, but it establishes a clinically tractable path for trophic-factor investigation.
PDGF-B pathway dysfunction is also relevant to vascular cognitive impairment and small-vessel phenotypes where BBB compromise and microvascular remodeling are central pathomechanisms.[@nation2019][@bell2020]
Therapeutic Targeting
1) Recombinant PDGF-BB delivery
Direct ligand administration is the most mature strategy, with proof-of-concept human safety data in PD.[@paul2015] Key open questions remain around dose-exposure relationships, target tissue penetration, and long-term efficacy.
2) Pathway restoration for BBB rescue
Pharmacologic efforts to restore BBB integrity by modulating PDGF-family neurovascular signaling are advancing, including strategies that tune maladaptive PDGF-CC/PDGFR pathways in acute and chronic neurologic disease.[@su2016]
3) Combination disease-modifying design
The most realistic neurodegeneration use case is combination therapy: pair PDGF-B neurovascular support with proteinopathy-directed interventions, then monitor with multimodal biomarkers (CSF vascular markers, MRI permeability metrics, cognitive/motor endpoints).[@nation2019][@bell2020]
Safety Considerations
PDGF signaling is pleiotropic and proliferative, so chronic activation requires oncologic vigilance, vascular-event monitoring, and careful exclusion criteria in older populations with cancer or pro-fibrotic risk.[@andrae2008][@sullivan2019] Translational programs should include predefined stop rules for edema, inflammatory exacerbation, and off-target proliferative signals.
See Also
- [PDGF-A Protein](/proteins/pdgfa-protein)](/proteins)
- [PDGFR-Beta Protein](/proteins/pdgfrb-protein)](/proteins)
- [Blood-Brain Barrier](/entities/blood-brain-barrier)](/entities)
- [Microglia](/entities/microglia)](/entities)
- [Parkinson's Disease](/diseases/parkinsons-disease)
External Links
- [UniProt: PDGFB (P01127)](https://www.uniprot.org/uniprot/P01127)
- [NCBI Gene: PDGFB](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/5155)
- [PubMed PDGFB query](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=PDGFB+pericyte+blood-brain+barrier)
References
[Andrae J, Gallini R, Betsholtz C, Role of platelet-derived growth factors in physiology and medicine (2008)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19752325/)
[Tallquist M, Kazlauskas A, PDGF signaling in cells and mice (2004)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21173884/)
[Bell RD, Winkler EA, Sagare AP, et al, Pericytes are required for blood-brain barrier integrity during embryogenesis (2010)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20944625/)
[Bell RD, Winkler EA, Singh I, et al, Pericytes control key neurovascular functions and neuronal phenotype in the adult brain and during brain aging (2010)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21040844/)
[Nation DA, Sweeney MD, Montagne A, et al, Blood-brain barrier breakdown is an early biomarker of human cognitive dysfunction (2019)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30643288/)
[Bell RD, Winkler EA, Singh I, et al, APOE4 leads to blood-brain barrier dysfunction predicting cognitive decline (2020)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32376954/)
[Funa K, et al, Platelet-derived growth factor-BB has neurorestorative effects and modulates the pericyte response in a partial 6-hydroxydopamine lesion mouse model of Parkinson's disease (2016)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27288154/)
[Paul G, Zachrisson O, Varrone A, et al, Safety and tolerability of intracerebroventricular PDGF-BB in Parkinson's disease patients (2015)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25689258/)
[Su EJ, et al, Pharmacological targeting of the PDGF-CC signaling pathway for blood-brain barrier restoration in neurological disorders (2016)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27524729/)
[Sullivan AM, O'Keeffe GW, Trophic factors for Parkinson's disease: Where are we and where do we go from here? (2019)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30103283/)