Mapping the chaperonin TRiC/CCT interactome in mouse photoreceptors reveals functional significance for energy metabolism
PLoS One. 2026 Jul 29;21(7):e0345843. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0345843. eCollection 2026. ABSTRACT The eukaryotic chaperonin TRiC/CCT is essential for folding a diverse set of proteins, yet its interactome and functional roles in specialized neurons remain incompletely understood. To investigate TRiC-mediated folding in rod photoreceptors, we generated a transgenic mouse line expressing an epitope-tagged Tcp-1α subunit, enabling purification […]
Multi-omics Mendelian randomization analysis identifies SPATA20 as a cross-omic target in primary open angle glaucoma
Int J Ophthalmol. 2026 Aug 18;19(8):1451-1460. doi: 10.18240/ijo.2026.08.03. eCollection 2026. ABSTRACT AIM: To investigate the mitochondrial dysfunction-related genes and their regulatory mechanisms involved in primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), which is characterized by retinal ganglion cell loss. METHODS: Multi-omic summary-data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) integrating methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTL), expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL), and […]
Phenotypic Variations in a Large Family with Dominant Optic Atrophy Related to a Novel OPA1 Deletion
Ophthalmol Sci. 2026 Jun 15;6(8):101286. doi: 10.1016/j.xops.2026.101286. eCollection 2026 Aug. ABSTRACT PURPOSE: Dominant optic atrophy (DOA) is a rare disease characterized by the chronic loss of retinal ganglion cells that transduce the visual information from the retina to the brain. Dominant optic atrophy shows interfamilial and intrafamilial phenotypic variations and a restricted 35% molecular diagnosis, […]
Calcitriol-PKM2 axis drives transcriptional and metabolic reprogramming of ILCPs into intestinal dual-cytokine-producing ILC3s
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2026 Aug 4;123(31):e2600260123. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2600260123. Epub 2026 Jul 28. ABSTRACT Vitamin D deficiency is associated with dysregulated alloimmune responses, but the mechanisms by which its active metabolite calcitriol shapes innate lymphoid cell (ILC) development and function remain incompletely understood. Here, we elucidate how calcitriol directs the differentiation of […]
DGAT1-associated lipid-retinoid dysregulation correlates with metabolic impairment in the RPE of Stargardt disease
iScience. 2026 Jul 13;29(8):116727. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2026.116727. eCollection 2026 Aug 21. ABSTRACT Mutations in ABCA4 cause Stargardt disease (STGD1) by disrupting retinoid handling and retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) homeostasis, yet the metabolic drivers of RPE degeneration remain unclear. Given that photoreceptor health relies heavily on the support of the RPE, loss of the RPE cells is […]
Combination of Three Herbal Components (ISL, Que, Meth) Suppresses Uveal Melanoma Growth via Gαq/MEK/YAP Axis Modulation and Apoptosis
Biomedicines. 2026 Jul 16;14(7):1596. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines14071596. ABSTRACT Background: Uveal melanoma (UM) represents the most prevalent primary intraocular malignancy in adults, yet patients harboring GNAQ/GNA11 mutations face particularly poor prognoses with median survival of merely 6-12 months following metastasis. Multi-targeted combination therapy offers a promising strategy to circumvent drug resistance. The present study investigated the synergistic […]
Mitochondrial Genetic Diseases and Ophthalmic Manifestations: Molecular Pathophysiology, Genetics, and Clinical Management
Int J Mol Sci. 2026 Jul 9;27(14):6128. doi: 10.3390/ijms27146128. ABSTRACT Mitochondrial genetic disorders compromise oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and cellular energy supply, and the eye is among the first organs to feel the deficit. Photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) sustain among the highest metabolic rates in the body, so ophthalmic features often dominate the clinical […]
Sex-Dependent Brain Plasticity in Neurological Disease: From Biological Variability to Adaptive, Compensatory, and Maladaptive Trajectories
Biology (Basel). 2026 Jul 17;15(14):1176. doi: 10.3390/biology15141176. ABSTRACT Brain plasticity is often described as the capacity of the nervous system to change in response to development, experience, injury, disease, or treatment. That definition is useful, but it can obscure two clinically important points: plasticity is biologically constrained, and change is not always beneficial. This narrative […]
Photobiomodulation in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: A Mitochondrial Bioenergetic Framework and Translational Perspective
Life (Basel). 2026 Jun 30;16(7):1098. doi: 10.3390/life16071098. ABSTRACT Background/Objectives: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible visual impairment in aging populations. While effective treatments exist for neovascular AMD and, more recently, geographic atrophy, no widely accepted therapy prevents disease progression in earlier stages. Photobiomodulation (PBM) has emerged as a potential approach to […]
Thioredoxin interacting protein (TXNIP), a redox regulator, mediates the EPAC-RAP1 signaling dependency of primary melanoma
Oncogene. 2026 Jul 25. doi: 10.1038/s41388-026-03895-6. Online ahead of print. ABSTRACT Progression of cutaneous primary melanoma that arises from melanocytes leads to lethal metastatic disease. Molecular mechanisms that control the growth of primary melanoma in the skin and promote progression are not fully understood. Previously we showed that RAP guanine exchange factors EPAC1/2 (Exchange Proteins […]