Description
Pericytes confer vascular stability in the retina, and the loss of pericytes can cause the blood-retina barrier breakdown seen in diabetic retinopathy. To identify endothelial-specific genes expressed in pericyte-deprived retinal vessels, we purified genetically labeled endothelial cells from Tie2-GFP transgenic mice treated with neutralizing antibody against PDGFRb (APB5) and performed gene expression profiling using DNA microarray. To find out endothelial-specific genes associated with the loss of pericyte coverage, the comparison of microarray data was carried out between retinal endothelial cells (data from GSE27238) and APB5-treated retinal endothelial cells.