Title: Human Brain Microvessel Tight Junctions
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Description: The blood–brain barrier is one of the brain’s most important defense systems, protecting it from harmful chemicals, germs, and other threats that circulate in the bloodstream. This barrier is sealed by tiny microscopic “seams” called tight junctions—specialized proteins that lock together the endothelial cells lining each blood vessel. In this confocal fluorescence image, a microvessel purified from a human donor brain is shown in blue (ConcanavalinA staining). The tight junctions, marked by the proteins ZO-1 and Claudin-5, appear in gold and magenta, forming vertical seams along the vessel much like the stitching on a piece of clothing.