NeuroTrace 500/525 identifies human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived brain pericyte-like cells

In the CNS, pericytes are important for maintaining the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and for controlling blood flow. Recently, several methods were suggested for the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into brain mural cells, specifically pericytes or vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMCs). Unfortunately, identifying the pericytes from among such hPSC-derived mural cells has been challenging. This is due both to the lack of pericyte-specific markers and to the loss of defining anatomical information inherent to culture conditions. We therefore asked whether NeuroTrace 500/525, a newly developed dye that shows cell-specific uptake into pericytes in the mouse brain, can help identify human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived brain pericyte-like cells. First, we found that NeuroTrace 500/525 specifically stains primary cultured human brain pericytes, confirming its specificity in vitro. Second, we found that NeuroTrace 500/525 specifically labels hiPSC-derived pericyte-like cells, but not endothelial cells or vSMCs derived from the same hiPSCs. Last, we found that neuroectoderm-derived vSMCs, which have pericyte-like features, also take up NeuroTrace 500/525. These data indicate NeuroTrace 500/525 is useful for identifying pericyte-like cells among hiPSC-derived brain mural cells. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13041-021-00893-5.