{
  "abstract": "Pericyte specification and expansion must be coordinated with vascular growth to establish a functional cerebrovascular network, yet how endothelial signals control these distinct developmental transitions remains incompletely understood. Here, using genetic manipulation, single-cell transcriptomic analysis, and longitudinal in vivo imaging in zebrafish, we identify ligand-specific endothelial Notch signaling as a mechanism coordinating brain pericyte development. Endothelial Jag2b is required for efficient pericyte specification from pericerebral progenitor pools and subsequently promotes Notch-dependent pericyte proliferation and population expansion. By contrast, endothelial Dll4 restrains pericyte proliferation and functionally opposes Jag2b-dependent expansion, demonstrating that distinct endothelial Notch ligands generate different developmental outputs. Endothelial Notch activation increases jag2b expression, and genetic interaction analyses establish Jag2b as an important mediator of Notch-dependent pericyte expansion. Moreover, genetic disruption of piezo1 reduces brain pericyte abundance, whereas endothelial jag2b expression rescues this phenotype, placing Jag2b downstream of Piezo1-dependent hemodynamic signaling. Together, these findings reveal a ligand-specific endothelial Notch program that integrates hemodynamic cues with endothelial-pericyte communication to coordinate the specification and expansion of brain pericytes during cerebrovascular development.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University"
  ],
  "article_type": "New results",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 8,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "J. Zhang"
    },
    {
      "name": "H. Zi"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. Dang"
    },
    {
      "name": "W. Sima"
    },
    {
      "name": "X. Li"
    },
    {
      "name": "G. Ning"
    },
    {
      "name": "L. Sun"
    },
    {
      "name": "Q. Wang"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3p4mvehbe1ptg.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.10.05.756680",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.05.756680v1.full",
  "id": "3p4mvehbe1ptg",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.05.756680v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "biorxiv",
      "developmental biology"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2808|Barrier Structure and Function Studies"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7221071427",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.05.756680v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-05",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3p4mvehbe1ptg.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:26:50Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.10.05.756680",
      "source": "biorxiv",
      "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.05.756680v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "biology",
      "origin": "biorxiv:developmental biology",
      "subfield": "developmental-biology"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Ligand-specific endothelial Notch signaling coordinates brain pericyte specification and expansion",
  "title_text": "Ligand-specific endothelial Notch signaling coordinates brain pericyte specification and expansion",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:26:50Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/3p4mvehbe1ptg",
  "venue": "bioRxiv",
  "versions": []
}