Prof. Ruth Ashery Padan

Principle Investigator, Professor

Zucker–Sussman chair for glaucoma research

Department of Human Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University

Investigating the Molecular Basis of Visual System Development

We study the gene networks that transform the embryonic cells into a complex, differentiated organ. We focus on exploring this question by studying the process of eye development as a model for organogenesis. We apply cutting-edge technologies including mouse genetic tools (Cre/loxP), molecular biology, and microarray analysis to identify and functionally characterize genes that regulate the development of the eye in mammals. Understanding the normal developmental regulation of the different eye structures is essential for understanding visual disorders and designing treatments for ocular phenotypes including retinal degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts, all of which are leading causes of blindness.

Selected Publications

Cohen-Tayar, Y., Cohen, H., Mitiagin, Y., Abarbanel, Z., Levy, C., Idelson, M., Reubinoff, B., Itzkovitz, S., Raviv, S., Kaestner, K., Blinder, P., Elkon, R. & Ashery-Padan, R. Pax6 regulation of Sox9 in the retinal pigmented epithelium controls its timely differentiation and choroid vasculature development. Development, doi:10.1242/dev.163691 (2018).

Swisa, A., Avrahami, D., Eden, N., Zhang, J., Feleke, E., Dahan, T., Cohen-Tayar, Y., Stolovich-Rain, M., Kaestner, K. H., Glaser, B., Ashery-Padan, R. & Dor, Y. PAX6 maintains beta cell identity by repressing genes of alternative islet cell types. J Clin Invest 127, 230-243, doi:10.1172/JCI88015 (2017).

Ohana, R., Weiman-Kelman, B., Raviv, S., Tamm, E. R., Pasmanik-Chor, M., Rinon, A., Netanely, D., Shamir, R., Solomon, A. S. & Ashery-Padan, R. MicroRNAs are essential for differentiation of the retinal pigmented epithelium and maturation of adjacent photoreceptors. Development 142, 2487-2498, doi:10.1242/dev.121533 (2015).

Raviv, S., K. Bharti, S. Rencus-Lazar, Y. Cohen, R. Schyr, N. Evantal, E. Meshorer, A. Zilberberg, M. Idelson, B. Reubinoff, R. Grebe, R. Rosin-Arbesfeld, B.E. Lauderdale, G. Lutty, H. Arnheiter, and R. Ashery-Padan. PAX6 regulates melanogenesis in the retinal pigmented epithelium through feed-forward regulatory interactions with MITF. PLoS Genet, 2014. 10:1004360.

Wolf, L., W. Harrison, J. Huang, Q. Xie, N. Xiao, J. Sun, L. Kong, S.A. Lachke, M.R. Kuracha, V. Govindarajan, P.K. Brindle, R. Ashery-Padan, D.C. Beebe, P.A. Overbeek, and A. Cvekl, Histone posttranslational modifications and cell fate determination: lens induction requires the lysine acetyltransferases CBP and p300. Nucleic Acids Res, 2013. 41:10199-214

Wolf, L., C.S. Gao, K. Gueta, Q. Xie, T. Chevallier, N.R. Podduturi, J. Sun, I. Conte, P.S. Zelenka, R. Ashery-Padan, J. Zavadil, and A. Cvekl. Identification and characterization of fgf2-dependent mRNA:microRNA networks during lens fiber cell differentiation. G3, 2013. 3:2239-2255.

Farhy, C., M. Elgart, Z. Shapira, V. Oron-Karni, O. Yaron, Y. Menuchin, G. Rechavi, and R. Ashery-Padan, Pax6 is required for normal cell-cycle exit and the differentiation kinetics of retinal progenitor cells. PLoS One, 2013. 8:e76489.

Zembrzycki A, Chou SJ, Ashery-Padan R, Stoykova A, O'Leary DD. Sensory cortex limits cortical maps and drives top-down plasticity in thalamocortical circuits. Nat Neurosci. 2013, 16:1060-7.

Shaham O, Gueta K, Mor E, Oren-Giladi P, Grinberg D, Xie Q, Cvekl A, Shomron N, Davis N, Keydar- Prizant M, Raviv S, Pasmanik-Chor M, Bell R, Levy C, Avellino R, Banfi S, Conte I, Ashery-Padan R. Pax6 regulates gene expression in the vertebrate lens through miR-204. PLoS Genet, 2013, 9:e1003357.  

Bochner R, Ziv Y, Zeevi D, Donyo M, Abraham L, Ashery-Padan R, Ast G. Phosphatidylserine increases IKBKAP levels in a humanized knock-in IKBKAP mouse model. Hum Molec Genet. 2013, 22: 2785-2794

Shaham, O., Y. Menuchin, C. Farhy, and R. Ashery-Padan, Pax6: a multi-level regulator of ocular development. Prog Retin Eye Res, 2012. 31:351-76.

Magenheim J, Klein AM, Stanger BZ, Ashery-Padan R, Sosa-Pineda B, Gu G, Dor Y. Ngn3(+) endocrine progenitor cells control the fate and morphogenesis of pancreatic ductal epithelium. Dev Biol 2011, 359:26-36.

Huang J, Rajagopal R, Liu Y, Dattilo LK, Shaham O, Ashery-Padan R, Beebe DC. The mechanism of lens placode formation: A case of matrix-mediated morphogenesis. Dev Biol 2011, 355:32-42.

Davis N, Mor E, Ashery-Padan R. Roles for Dicer1 in the patterning and differentiation of the optic cup neuroepithelium. Development 2011, 138:127-138.

Kroeber M, Davis N, Holzmann S, Kritzenberger M, Shelah-Goraly M, Ofri R, Ashery-Padan R, Tamm ER. Reduced expression of Pax6 in lens and cornea of mutant mice leads to failure of chamber angle development and juvenile glaucoma. Hum Mol Genet 2010, 19:3332-3342.

He S, Pirity MK, Wang WL, Wolf L, Chauhan BK, Cveklova K, Tamm ER, Ashery-Padan R, Metzger D, Nakai A, Chambon P, Zavadil J, Cvekl A. Chromatin remodeling enzyme Brg1 is required for mouse lens fiber cell terminal differentiation and its denucleation. Epigenetics Chromatin 2010, 3:21.

Bandah-Rozenfeld D, Mizrahi-Meissonnier L, Farhy C, Obolensky A, Chowers I, Pe'er J, Merin S, Ben-Yosef T, Ashery-Padan R, Banin E, Sharon D. Homozygosity mapping reveals null mutations in FAM161A as a cause of autosomal-recessive retinitis pigmentosa. Am J Hum Genet 2010, 87:382-391.

Reviews

Shaham O, Menuchin Y, Farhy C, Ashery-Padan R: Pax6: A multi-level regulator of ocular development. Prog Retin Eye Res 2012, 31:351-76.

Cvekl A, Ashery-Padan R. The cellular and molecular mechanisms of vertebrate lens development. Development. 2014 Dec; 141(23):4432-47. 

Amram, B., Cohen-Tayar, Y., David, A. and Ashery-Padan, R. (2017) 'The retinal pigmented epithelium - from basic developmental biology research to translational approaches', Int J Dev Biol 61(3-4-5): 225-234.