Lack of Pnpla2 Accelerates Progression of AMD-Like Features in Mice.

Purpose: Lipid accumulation in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) contributes to cellular stress and progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). However, the regulation of lipid homeostasis in AMD development is not fully elucidated. The study investigates the effects of Pnpla2 deletion, a gene involved in lipid regulation, on key markers of RPE senescence and aging with potential relevance to AMD.

Long-distance gene flow and recombination shape the evolutionary history of a maize pathogen.

The evolutionary history of crop pathogens is shaped by a complex interaction of natural and anthropogenic factors. The fungus causes maize anthracnose which results in significant yield losses worldwide. We conducted a comprehensive investigation into the evolutionary genomics of using a collection of 212 isolates from 17 countries across five continents.

Rabbit model of oxidative stress-induced retinal degeneration.

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a disorder that results in the death of rod photoreceptors in the retina, caused by several different mutations. As rods are 95 % of the photoreceptors in the eye and consume the most oxygen, their death causes tissue hyperoxia resulting in oxidative stress in the retina. Oxidative stress is implicated in the pathogenesis of photoreceptor death in RP.

Deletion of Pnpla2 Causes Malformation and Malperformance of Mouse Photoreceptors.

Photoreceptor cells express the patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 2 (PNPLA2) gene that codes for pigment epithelium-derived factor receptor (PEDF-R). PEDF-R exhibits phospholipase activity that mediates the neurotrophic action of its ligand PEDF. Because phospholipids are the most abundant lipid class in the retina, we investigated the role of PNPLA2 in photoreceptors by generating CRISPR Pnpla2 knockout mouse lines.

Your brain on art, nature, and meditation: a pilot neuroimaging study.

Objectives: Exposure to art, nature, or meditation, all transcending human experiences, has beneficial effects on health and wellbeing. Focusing inward or watching art and nature videos elicits positive emotions that can help heal stress-related conditions. In a pilot functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) study, we explored the effect of watching digital art or nature videos compared to contemplating the universal connectedness (also known as transcendental meditation).