Rose E. Dixon

Jan 16, 2024 | nature.com | Maria C. Perez-Flores |Seojin Park |Yingying Chen |Mincheol Kang |Phung N. Thai |Ryan Woltz | +5 more

AbstractThe inner ear is the hub where hair cells (HCs) transduce sound, gravity, and head acceleration stimuli to the brain. Hearing and balance rely on mechanosensation, the fastest sensory signals transmitted to the brain. The mechanoelectrical transducer (MET) channel is the entryway for the sound-balance-brain interface, but the channel-complex composition is not entirely known. Here, we report that the mouse utilizes Piezo1 (Pz1) and Piezo2 (Pz2) isoforms as MET-complex components.

Jul 28, 2023 | nature.com | Maria Ximena Casas |María Casas |Sergi Simó |James S. Trimmer |Rose E. Dixon

AbstractLysosomes communicate through cholesterol transfer at endoplasmic reticulum (ER) contact sites. At these sites, the Niemann Pick C1 cholesterol transporter (NPC1) facilitates the removal of cholesterol from lysosomes, which is then transferred to the ER for distribution to other cell membranes. Mutations in NPC1 result in cholesterol buildup within lysosomes, leading to Niemann-Pick Type C (NPC) disease, a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disorder.