The deubiquitinase Otud7b suppresses cone photoreceptor degeneration in mouse models of retinal degenerative diseases.

Primary and secondary cone photoreceptor death in retinal degenerative diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP), leads to severe visual impairment and blindness. Although the cone photoreceptor protection in retinal degenerative diseases is crucial for maintaining vision, the underlying molecular mechanisms are unclear. Here, we found that the deubiquitinase Otud7b/Cezanne is predominantly expressed in photoreceptor cells in the retina.

The Rax homeoprotein in Müller glial cells is required for homeostasis maintenance of the postnatal mouse retina.

Müller glial cells, which are the most predominant glial subtype in the retina, play multiple important roles, including the maintenance of structural integrity, homeostasis, and physiological functions of the retina. We have previously found that the Rax homeoprotein is expressed in postnatal and mature Müller glial cells in the mouse retina. However, the function of Rax in postnatal and mature Müller glial cells remains to be elucidated.

Multiple knockout mouse and embryonic stem cell models reveal the role of miR-124a in neuronal maturation.

MicroRNA-124a (miR-124a) is one of the most abundantly expressed microRNAs in the central nervous system and is encoded in mammals by the three genomic loci miR-124a-1/2/3; however, its in vivo roles in neuronal development and function remain ambiguous. In the present study, we investigated the effect of miR-124a loss on neuronal differentiation in mice and in embryonic stem (ES) cells. Since miR-124a-3 exhibits only background expression levels in the brain and we were unable to obtain miR-124a-1/2/3 triple knockout (TKO) mice by mating, we generated and analyzed miR-124a-1/2 double knockout (DKO) mice.

Mutations in the predicted DNA polymerase subunit POLD3 result in more rapid flowering of Brachypodium distachyon.

The timing of reproduction is a critical developmental decision in the life cycle of many plant species. Fine mapping of a rapid-flowering mutant was done using whole-genome sequence data from bulked DNA from a segregating F2 mapping populations. The causative mutation maps to a gene orthologous with the third subunit of DNA polymerase δ (POLD3), a previously uncharacterized gene in plants.

Cul3-Klhl18 ubiquitin ligase modulates rod transducin translocation during light-dark adaptation.

Adaptation is a general feature of sensory systems. In rod photoreceptors, light-dependent transducin translocation and Ca homeostasis are involved in light/dark adaptation and prevention of cell damage by light. However, the underlying regulatory mechanisms remain unclear.