Your tiniest blood tubes get a hug! Pericytes wrap long arms around them to keep them strong and steady.
Drag to turn it around. Use the buttons to zoom in and try things from the lessons.
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Your tiniest blood tubes are called capillaries. They are so thin that red blood cells pass through in a single line.
Pericytes sit on the outside of these little tubes. Each one has a small body with long, thin arms that curl around the tube.
The word pericyte comes from old words meaning around and cell. It is a cell that sits around the tube!
Press Give a hug on the 3D model and watch the pericyte squeeze its tube.
By AboutKidsHealth - The Hospital for Sick Children. A fun video for kids.
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