During my PhD I investigated the role of astrocyte connexins 30 and 43 at the brain vascular interface. In particular we found that Cx43 is crucial to the maintenance of brain immune quiescence. My postdoc work then lead to the first description of a local translation in astrocytes, at the vascular interface, that could be a key mechanism to sustain astrocyte molecular polarity.
I am now investigating the mechanisms involved in the formation of the gliovascular unit: (i) how astrocytes develop their interaction with brain blood vessels during postnatal development and influence vascular maturation and (ii) how brain blood vessels could participate in the maturation of astrocytes and organization of the astrocyte network.
