Isolation and culture of microvascular endothelial cells from murine spinal cord

The isolation and culture of spinal cord microvascular endothelial cells (SCMEC), which form the blood–spinal cord barrier (BSCB), is described. Though morphologically similar to brain microvacular endothelial cells (BMEC) that form the blood–brain barrier (BBB), SCMEC express reduced amounts of several prominent BBB proteins, including tight junction-associated proteins ZO-1 and occludin, adherens junction-associated proteins β-catenin and VE-cadherin, and the efflux transporter P-glycoprotein. These distinguishing features may reflect more widespread differences between the BBB and BSCB that impact physiological and pathophysiological processes.