Endothelial Cell Laminin Isoforms, Laminins 8 and 10, Play Decisive Roles in T Cell Recruitment Across the Blood–Brain Barrier in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

Laminin-411 and laminin-511 are described as the major laminin isoforms in vascular basement membranes. Their expression was influenced by pro-inflammatory cytokines or angiostatic agents. Inflammatory cuffs occurred exclusively around endothelial basement membranes containing laminin-411, whereas in the presence of laminin-511 no infiltration was detectable. Integrin α6 and β-dystroglycan were prominent in CNS blood vessels, whereas no staining was observed for integrin α3, α7, and β4 subunits. One of the major laminin receptors, integrin α6β1, was localized predominantly on the endothelial cells, where it is likely to mediate interactions with the endothelial cell laminin-411 and -511, whereas astrocyte endfeet appear to utilize a different receptor for interactions with the parenchymal laminins. β-Dystroglycan occurred predominantly on astrocyte endfeet.