Research Projects

The study aims to understand the transcriptional and post-translational regulation of PITX3 during mDA differentiation, the role of identified E3 ligase that target PITX3 for degradation, and the implications of identified E3 ligase in Parkinson's disease (PD). The researchers will develop an mDA neuron model system, identify upstream regulators of PITX3, and evaluate the protein homeostasis of PITX3. They will also determine the in vivo protein turnover of PITX3 and the role of the identified E3 ligase in mDA differentiation. The study will also examine the role of identified E3 ligase in the fate specification of DA neurons derived from PD iPSCs. The researchers will generate PD patient iPSCs and differentiate them to DA-like neurons, and the functional significance of the identified E3 ligase will be evaluated. The study will also investigate the role of the identified E3 ligase in PD by generating DA neurons from PD iPSCs.