Joseph Lin

Program: Neurosciences

Current advisor: Rajendra S. Apte, MD, PhD

Undergraduate university: Case Western Reserve University

Research summary
I am pursuing my thesis research in the laboratory of Dr. Rajendra Apte in the Department of Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences. Previous work by this laboratory has shown that there is a microRNA-mediated, age-associated decline in stearoyl-CoA desaturase 2 (Scd2) expression in macrophages that appears to alter them towards a proinflammatory and proangiogenic phenotype. We are following up on these results by investigating the mechanistic link between deficiency of SCD2, an enzyme that converts saturated fatty acids to monounsaturated fatty acids, and altered macrophage function. We hope that these studies will advance our understanding of fatty acid metabolism in the context of macrophages while additionally providing insight into the pathogenesis of age-related diseases, including those of the eye.macrophages while additionally providing insight into the pathogenesis of age-related diseases, including those of the eye.

Graduate publications
Lin JB, Shen X, Pfeifer CW, Shiau F, Santeford A, Ruzycki PA, Clark BS, Liu Q, Huang AJW, Apte RS.. 2023 Dry eye disease in mice activates adaptive corneal epithelial regeneration distinct from constitutive renewal in homeostasis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 120(2):e2204134120.

Sasaki Y, Kakita H, Kubota S, Sene A, Lee TJ, Ban N, Dong Z, Lin JB, Boye SL, DiAntonio A, Boye SE, Apte RS, Milbrandt J. 2020 SARM1 depletion rescues NMNAT1-dependent photoreceptor cell death and retinal degeneration. Elife, 9():e62027.

Lin JB, Lin JB, Chen HC, Chen T, Apte RS.. 2019 Combined SIRT3 and SIRT5 deletion is associated with inner retinal dysfunction in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes. Sci Rep, 9(1):3799.

Lin JB, Moolani HV, Sene A, Sidhu R, Kell P, Lin JB, Dong Z, Ban N, Ory DS, Apte RS. 2018 Macrophage microRNA-150 promotes pathological angiogenesis as seen in age-related macular degeneration. JCI Insight, 3(7):e120157.

Lin JB, Sene A, Wiley LA, Santeford A, Nudleman E, Nakamura R, Lin JB, Moolani HV, Apte RS. 2018 WNT7A/B promote choroidal neovascularization. Exp Eye Res, 174():107-112.