Guardians at the gate: cMAF keeps the brain's vasculature in check
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Updated: Oct 31, 2026

Visualizing the Gatekeeper: Evan's Blue Dye-Based Assessment of Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability in Adult Zebrafish
Published on: September 30, 2025
Lena Alexopoulou1, Rejane Rua1
1Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, INSERM, CIML, Centre d'Immunologie de Marseille-Luminy, Marseille, France.
Abstract:
In this issue of Cell, Brioschi et al. identify cellular musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma (cMAF) as a key regulator of brain perivascular macrophages that supports cerebrovascular function through insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) production. This cMAF-IGF1 program is enhanced in Alzheimer's disease (AD), potentially reflecting a protective response that is lost in APOE4 carriers.
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