Deimination restores inner retinal visual function in murine demyelinating disease

Sanjoy Bhattarcharya and Vittorio Porciatti of the University of Miami discuss the role of deimination, a post-translational protein modification, in retinal function. Highlights:

• Demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis, are frequently accompanied by vision loss.
• Deimination is a protein modification that is impaired in the retinas of patients with demyelinating disease.
• Using a rat model of demyelinating disease, the researchers demonstrated that loss of deimination impaired retinal function.
• Restoration of deimination restored neurite outgrowth and retinal function, suggesting that deimination could be a therapeutic target.

PSD-95 expression controls L-DOPA dyskinesia through dopamine D1 receptor trafficking

Erwan Bezard and Laurent Groc of the University of Bordeaux discuss the effects of the post-synaptic density protein PSD-95 on the development of levodopa-induced dyskinesia. Highlights:

• L-DOPA-induced dyskinesia (LID) is a major side effect of dopamine replacement therapy for Parkinson’s disease.
• LID is associated with changes in D1 dopamine receptor (D1R) interactions at the striatal synapses.
• Using rat and macaque models, Bezard, Groc, and colleagues demonstrated that the synaptic density protein PSD-95 alters the trafficking of D1R to the synapse.
• Loss of PSD-95 in the striatum reduces the development and severity of LID.