Pericytes from individuals with multiple sclerosis show reduced contractility but remain responsive to myelin debris, hypoxia, and inflammatory cytokines

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex inflammatory, demyelinating, and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS), that is accompanied by vascular abnormalities such as cerebral hypoperfusion, neurovascular uncoupling, and blood–brain-barrier (BBB) disruption. Pericytes regulate cerebral blood flow at capillaries and maintain the BBB and pericyte dysfunction may play a role in MS pathogenesis. By studying induced pluripotent stem cell-derived pericytes (iPSC- pericytes), we determined that pericytes from people with relapsing-onset MS (RoMS) have an altered transcriptome, increased cell size, and respond weakly to the vasoconstrictor, endothelin-1. This phenotype was more severe in iPSC-pericytes from a high incidence MS family, and while the individual isogenic correction of two rare genetic variants carried by this family did not modify the phenotype, our data indicate a genetic basis for pericyte dysfunction in RoMS. Intrinsic RoMS iPSC- pericyte dysfunction did not impact their capacity to respond to MS-relevant stimuli. Control and RoMS iPSC-pericytes phagocytosed myelin debris. They also proliferated, elongated, and upregulated angiogenesis signalling in response to hypoxia. Furthermore, while TNFα and IFNγ exposure caused control and RoMS iPSC-pericytes to contract more strongly in response to endothelin-1, the proportional increase was greater in RoMS iPSC-pericytes. These data suggest that intrinsic pericyte dysfunction would impair cerebral blood flow regulation prior to MS clinical onset, and their failure to regulate blood flow within MS lesions would contribute to neurodegeneration.