Dr Amanda Miles of the Tropepe lab shows that “Usher syndrome type 1-associated gene, pcdh15b, is required for photoreceptor structural integrity in zebrafish” in the Dec 2021 issue of Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM).
Zebrafish protocadherin-15b (pcdh15b) is closest in sequence to the human gene linked to progressive blindness and deafness in human Usher Syndrome. Pcdh15b is a putative cell adhesion molecule and Miles and co-authors reveal that rod and cone photoreceptor integrity is compromised in zebrafish pcdh15b mutants and also found structural defects in synapses of pcdh15b mutant photoreceptors.
Miles discusses her findings and her position as an early career researcher in an in-depth profile from DMM: First Person – Amanda Miles.