Publications by authors named "Elizabeth Erler"
Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in older adults, with retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells playing a key role. To better understand the cytotoxic mechanisms underlying oxidative stress, we used cell culture and mouse models of iron overload, as iron can catalyze reactive oxygen species formation in the RPE. Iron-loading of cultured induced pluripotent stem cell-derived RPE cells increased lysosomal abundance, impaired proteolysis and reduced the activity of a subset of lysosomal enzymes, including lysosomal acid lipase (LIPA) and acid sphingomyelinase (SMPD1).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIron accumulation has been implicated in degenerative retinal diseases. It can catalyze the production of damaging reactive oxygen species. Previous work has demonstrated iron accumulation in multiple retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.
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- In the MAPK pathway, the V600E mutation in B-Raf kinase leads to constant activation, resulting in excessive activity of downstream kinases MEK and ERK, contributing to melanoma and other cancers.
- Research indicates that existing drugs often fail due to resistance and can paradoxically activate B-Raf; therefore, new drugs targeting allosteric sites are necessary.
- By studying a specific α-helix on B-Raf crucial for its interaction with MEK, the research identifies potential new drug targets to inhibit B-Raf's oncogenic effects in melanoma.