Stem cell modeling of mitochondrial parkinsonism reveals key functions of OPA1.

Objective: Defective mitochondrial function attributed to optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) mutations causes primarily optic atrophy and, less commonly, neurodegenerative syndromes. The pathomechanism by which OPA1 mutations trigger diffuse loss of neurons in some, but not all, patients is unknown. Here, we used a tractable induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based model to capture the biology of OPA1 haploinsufficiency in cases presenting with classic eye disease versus syndromic parkinsonism.

Differentiation and Transplantation of Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Cone Photoreceptors into a Mouse Model of End-Stage Retinal Degeneration.

The loss of cone photoreceptors that mediate daylight vision represents a leading cause of blindness, for which cell replacement by transplantation offers a promising treatment strategy. Here, we characterize cone differentiation in retinas derived from mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Similar to in vivo development, a temporal pattern of progenitor marker expression is followed by the differentiation of early thyroid hormone receptor β2-positive precursors and, subsequently, photoreceptors exhibiting cone-specific phototransduction-related proteins.

An atlas of human kinase regulation.

The coordinated regulation of protein kinases is a rapid mechanism that integrates diverse cues and swiftly determines appropriate cellular responses. However, our understanding of cellular decision-making has been limited by the small number of simultaneously monitored phospho-regulatory events. Here, we have estimated changes in activity in 215 human kinases in 399 conditions derived from a large compilation of phosphopeptide quantifications.