Term: optic artery pericyte
Note: This page represents a term created by the combination ("post-composition") of two ontology terms. For more information on the individual terms, click the hyperlinked name.
Name: optic artery
Synonyms: optic arteries
Definition: The artery that carries blood to the eye. It branches from the primitive internal carotid artery and enters the eye ventrally through the optic fissure.
Ontology: Anatomy Ontology [ZFA:0005044]
Name: pericyte
Synonyms: pericytes, perivascular cells
Definition: An elongated, contractile cell found wrapped about precapillary arterioles outside the basement membrane. Pericytes are present in capillaries where proper adventitial and muscle layer are missing (thus distinguishing this cell type from adventitial cells). They are relatively undifferentiated and may become fibroblasts, macrophages, or smooth muscle cells.
Ontology: Anatomy Ontology [ZFA:0009112]