Pierre Mattar

Woot!!! Congrats to you and the team

Cell-intrinsic vulnerability and immune activation cooperate to drive degeneration in a mitochondrial complex I deficiency model of optic neuropathy - Journal of Neuroinflammation Journal of Neuroinflammation - Mitochondrial dysfunction is a central hallmark of many optic neuropathies, yet the mechanisms linking intrinsic metabolic stress to retinal ganglion cell (RGC)...

New paper out! 🚨
We show that Ndufs4 loss triggers retinal neurodegeneration through a phased process.
A new window into neuroimmune mechanisms in mitochondrial disease: link.springer.com/article/10.1...

*THE best

The 2026 Visual System Development GRC and GRS are fast approaching. Jeremy Kay, Kristen Kwan, Robert Johnston, and I have built an exciting program that we hope you will enjoy. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the meeting this summer in beautiful Maine. Register and RT!

Muller glia (green) regulate local retinoic acid signalling to specialise photoreceptor outer segments (magenta)for high acuity visual function

Excited to share our new manuscript from the Yoshimatsu and MacDonald labs. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6.... We found that my favourite glial cells can regulate local retinoic acid signalling to specialise cone photoreceptors for high acuity visual function.

A cell fate specification and transition mechanism for human foveolar cone subtype patterning | PNAS In the central region of the human retina, the high-acuity foveola is notable for its dense packing of green (M) and red (L) cones and absence of b...

I'm excited to share our PNAS paper from 1st author Kasia Hussey. We study how the foveola, the high acuity region of the retina, is patterned by RA and TH. We were surprised to find that cone subtypes appear to convert fates. Our studies are important for AMD sufferers. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

That’s the most realistic retinal organoid I’ve ever… oh - wait…

Oriented cell divisions induce basal progenitors and regulate neural expansion across tissues and species A fundamental role for division orientation in progenitor output driving cortical and retinal growth is revealed.

Happy to announce that our latest paper is now out! Have you ever wondered how neural tissues control their size? In this paper, we show that cell division orientation is critical in both the cortex and retina. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The lab's first paper of the new year is out. In it, we investigate the role of the late stage retinal progenitor-enriched SoxE family factors Sox8 and Sox9 in controlling retinal development./1
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

G+D together with JHU worked to put together this cool video describing our latest work! Check it out!

Metabolic, epigenetic and transcriptomic alterations in postnatal 16p11.2 deficient murine astrocytes Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are associated with metabolic dysregulation. While astrocytes are integral to cerebral metabolism, their molecular and functional changes in ASD are poorly known. Using...

New preprint from the lab! For those who love astrocytes 🤩. We welcome feedback! #preprint #openaccess #astrocytes #autism

Congratulations!!! This was an amazing preprint!

Conservation of cis-regulatory codes over half a billion years of evolution The regulatory codes controlling vertebrate retinal gene expression have been conserved over more than half a billion years.

🧬👁️ Our Science Advances paper is published! snATAC-seq analysis across lamprey to human retina uncovers deeply conserved cis-regulatory codes in all six retinal cell types — even with extensive enhancer turnover. Immensely grateful to my coauthors and collaborators. 🙏 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Omg - that’s nuts!!

Congratulations! Very exciting!!

Pathogenic variants in SMARCA1 cause an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder modulated by NURF complex composition Nature Communications - The authors identify pathogenic variants in the SMARCA1 gene as the cause of a variable neurodevelopmental disorder. Mouse studies suggest diverse genetic mechanisms related...

Excited to share our paper with Ghayda Mirzaa describing the novel SMARCA1-related NDD. Out today in Nature Communications.
rdcu.be/ePaDp

Retinal glia regulate development of the circadian photoentrainment circuit Circadian photoentrainment depends on intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs), which convey environmental light information to th…

Our latest paper is out! While the circadian photoentrainment circuit has been extensively studied, the mechanisms regulating its development remain poorly understood. Here we show that retinal Müller glia play a key role in this process. Check it out! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Thanks Anna!!

New preprints from the lab (3)! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Genetic tuning of retinal ganglion cell subtype identity to drive visual behavior Nature Communications - This study reveals that graded expression of the transcription factor BRN3B fine-tunes the identity and function of melanopsin-expressing ipRGC subtypes in the retina....

Our paper is out today! In @tiffmschmidt.bsky.social lab, we identified a single transcription factor, BRN3B, that shapes multiple, key features that define diverse ipRGC subtypes🧬👁️🐭

Very cool story!!! Congrats!!!

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New preprints from the lab!! (2)

Novel Roles of Sonic Hedgehog Signaling in Retinal Patterning and Neurogenesis During Mammalian Eye Development The Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) signaling pathway is essential for the patterning, growth, and morphogenesis of many tissues. During early eye development, Shh is critical for the formation of the two optic ...

🎉 New preprints from the lab! (1) www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Preventing Blindness by Untangling the Genetic Network of Vision Neurons Dr. Joel Miesfeld’s lab studies the mechanisms behind retinal ganglion cells to better understand vision development.

A big thanks to the NEI for supporting my new R01 and MCW for highlighting the research focus. We’ve already made some interesting discoveries and I’m excited to see how the research progresses for years to come. www.mcw.edu/mcwknowledge...

Active DNA demethylation upstream of rod-photoreceptor fate determination is required for retinal development TET enzymes remove DNA methylation markers, but the role of this process in retinal development is not clear. This study shows that these enzymes are required for photoreceptor cells to initiate the g...

Happy to share the definitive version of our last paper about the role of TET enzymes and DNA demethylation in retinal development @clark-lab-retina.bsky.social journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Our work on the TET enzymes in retinal development is out. We identified that rod fate is inhibited when DNA demethylation is prevented by removal of the TET enzymes. Interestingly, photoreceptor numbers are normal. We utilized WGBS and bACE-seq to profile the precise localization of 5mC and 5hmC,…

Left: The active DNA methylation cycle. (i) 5mC is added by DNMTs. (ii) The TET enzymes oxidize 5mC to 5hmC. (iii) 5hmC is converted to 5fC and 5caC by the TET enzymes, followed by conversion back to cytosine by TDG and the base-excision repair pathway. (iv) Alternatively, APOBEC converts 5mC to thymine, causing DNA mismatch. Right: H&E staining of an allelic series of TET conditional P21 mutants.

TET enzymes remove #DNAmethylation markers; @ismaelhdeznunez.bsky.social @clark-lab-retina.bsky.social &co show that these enzymes are required for #photoreceptor cells to initiate the genetic program to become rods instead of cones, & for maturation of the #retina @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/3UaVBfl

Woohoo!!!!

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