Thomas Eugene Zapadka
he/him/his
About
Research
Publications
2025
Restoring compromised blood-retina-barrier integrity with Netrin-1 overexpression
Furtado J, Zapadka T, Park H, Boyé K, Demb J, Eichmann A. Restoring compromised blood-retina-barrier integrity with Netrin-1 overexpression. Cellular And Molecular Life Sciences 2025, 82: 389. PMID: 41196411, PMCID: PMC12592616, DOI: 10.1007/s00018-025-05903-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsblood-retina barrierblood-retina barrier integrityage-related macular degenerationoxygen-induced retinopathynetrin-1 overexpressionchoroidal neovascularizationnetrin-1diabetic retinopathyvascular leakwet age-related macular degenerationblood-retina barrier breakdownblood-retina barrier functionlaser-induced choroidal neovascularizationvision-threatening retinal diseasesretinal neuronal functionretinal vascular diseasesblood-retina-barriermacular degenerationDR patientsvision lossretinal angiogenesisretinal diseasesnetrin-1 signalingdeficient retinasdisease progressionDietary oleic acid drives obesogenic adipogenesis via modulation of LXRα signaling
Wing A, Jeffery E, Church C, Goodell J, Saavedra-Peña R, Saha M, Holtrup B, Voisin M, Alavi N, Floody M, Wang Z, Zapadka T, Garabedian M, Varshney R, Rudolph M, Rodeheffer M. Dietary oleic acid drives obesogenic adipogenesis via modulation of LXRα signaling. Cell Reports 2025, 44: 115527. PMID: 40208790, PMCID: PMC12073628, DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115527.Peer-Reviewed Original Researchadipocyte precursor cellsdietary fatplasma monounsaturated fatty acidsassociated with human obesityhuman adipocyte precursor cellsmonounsaturated fatty acidsdietary fat compositiondietary screeningfatty acidsdietary fatty acidshuman obesityadipose expansionmetabolic healthobesity epidemicAkt2 signalingLXR activationprecursor cellsadipose biologyoleic acidhyperplasiaobesityadipocyte hyperplasiadietary oleic acidphysiological regulationadipogenesisOptic nerve injury impairs intrinsic mechanisms underlying electrical activity in a resilient retinal ganglion cell
Zapadka T, Tran N, Demb J. Optic nerve injury impairs intrinsic mechanisms underlying electrical activity in a resilient retinal ganglion cell. The Journal Of Physiology 2025, 603: 6623-6652. PMID: 39985791, PMCID: PMC12353978, DOI: 10.1113/jp286414.Peer-Reviewed Original Researchoptic nerve crushretinal ganglion cellsoptic nerveganglion cellssynaptic inputsvoltage-gated sodium channel currentsretinal ganglion cell typesvoltage-gatedretinal ganglion cell survivalchelation of intracellular calciumresting membrane potentialoptic nerve injuryvoltage-gated currentsaxonal injurysodium channel currentsretinal ganglion cell axonsRGC typesalpha retinal ganglion cellsaxon initial segmentintracellular calciumrate of survivalnerve injuryelectrophysiological propertiesnerve crushintrinsic excitabilityMolecular Components of Vesicle Cycling at the Rod Photoreceptor Ribbon Synapse
Hanke-Gogokhia C, Zapadka T, Finkelstein S, Arshavsky V, Demb J. Molecular Components of Vesicle Cycling at the Rod Photoreceptor Ribbon Synapse. Advances In Experimental Medicine And Biology 2025, 1468: 325-330. PMID: 39930217, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-76550-6_54.ChaptersConceptssynaptic vesicle exocytosissynaptic vesicle recyclingphotoreceptor ribbon synapsevesicle exocytosisvesicle recyclingvesicle cyclevesicle releaseribbon synapseprotein synthesisproperties of synaptic transmissionmolecular componentsmouse rodssynaptic terminalsrod cellsproteinvesiclesrod photoreceptorsdim lightsynaptic transmissioninner segmentscellsexocytosisendocytosisouter segmentsenergy production
2024
Specific retinal neurons regulate context-dependent defensive responses to visual threat
Lee T, Weinberg-Wolf H, Zapadka T, Rudenko A, Demb J, Kim I. Specific retinal neurons regulate context-dependent defensive responses to visual threat. PNAS Nexus 2024, 3: pgae423. PMID: 39359403, PMCID: PMC11443969, DOI: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae423.Peer-Reviewed Original Researchretinal ganglion cellsbehavioral responsesretinal ganglion cell typesvisual threatalpha retinal ganglion cellslooming stimulithreatening stimulimature miceganglion cellsbehavioral reactionsunique contributionscell ablationvisual pathwayoutput neuronsearly visual pathwaystimulicontextual signalsdefense responsesaerial predatorsenvironmental contextThe Structural and Functional Integrity of Rod Photoreceptor Ribbon Synapses Depends on Redundant Actions of Dynamins 1 and 3
Hanke-Gogokhia C, Zapadka T, Finkelstein S, Klingeborn M, Maugel T, Singer J, Arshavsky V, Demb J. The Structural and Functional Integrity of Rod Photoreceptor Ribbon Synapses Depends on Redundant Actions of Dynamins 1 and 3. Journal Of Neuroscience 2024, 44: e1379232024. PMID: 38641407, PMCID: PMC11209669, DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.1379-23.2024.Peer-Reviewed Original Researchrod ribbon synapsesdynamin-1photoreceptor ribbon synapsesdynamin isoformsmembrane scissionribbon synapsesconventional synapsesreduced synaptic vesicle densitysynaptic vesicle recycling processesendocytosis of synaptic vesiclesribbon-type active zonesvesicle densityconditional gene knockout approachgene knockout approachsynaptic vesicle densityvesicle endocytosisvesicle cycledisrupt endocytosisdynaminspecialized proteinssynapse integrityenlarged vesiclessynaptic vesiclesknockout approachrod photoreceptors
2023
IL-17A Enhances Retinal Neovascularization
Taylor B, Lee C, Zapadka T, Zhou A, Barber K, Taylor Z, Howell S, Taylor P. IL-17A Enhances Retinal Neovascularization. International Journal Of Molecular Sciences 2023, 24: 1747. PMID: 36675261, PMCID: PMC9866094, DOI: 10.3390/ijms24021747.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsproliferative diabetic retinopathyretinal neovascularizationIL-17Adiabetic retinopathyocular diseasesage-related macular degenerationnon-proliferative diabetic retinopathyoxygen-induced retinopathy modelvascular angiogenesisinterleukin (IL)-17Aretinal endothelial cellsdiabetic murine modelendothelial cell proliferationneovascular glaucomamacular degenerationvision lossretinal pathologyretinopathy modelMuller gliamurine modelvascular proliferationretinopathy
2022
Inhibition of CD40-TRAF6-dependent inflammatory activity halts the onset of diabetic retinopathy in streptozotocin-diabetic mice
Howell S, Lee C, Zapadka T, Lindstrom S, Taylor B, Taylor Z, Barber K, Taylor P. Inhibition of CD40-TRAF6-dependent inflammatory activity halts the onset of diabetic retinopathy in streptozotocin-diabetic mice. Nutrition & Diabetes 2022, 12: 46. PMID: 36309487, PMCID: PMC9617859, DOI: 10.1038/s41387-022-00225-z.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsdiabetic retinopathytherapeutic targetnon-proliferative diabetic retinopathydiabetic miceearly diabetic retinopathyretinal vascular leakagestreptozotocin-induced diabetic micediabetic retinaearly-stage treatmentpotential therapeutic targetvascular leakageMuller gliaretinal vasculatureretinopathysmall molecule inhibitorsinflammatory activityinflammatory pathwaysNFkB activationtissue damageinflammationmicemolecule inhibitors
2021
Retinal Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, and Vascular Impairment Is Ablated in Diabetic Mice Receiving XMD8-92 Treatment
Howell S, Lee C, Batoki J, Zapadka T, Lindstrom S, Taylor B, Taylor P. Retinal Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, and Vascular Impairment Is Ablated in Diabetic Mice Receiving XMD8-92 Treatment. Frontiers In Pharmacology 2021, 12: 732630. PMID: 34456740, PMCID: PMC8385489, DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.732630.Peer-Reviewed Original Researchdiabetic retinopathyretinal inflammationdiabetic micemurine modelclinical hallmarktype II diabetesvascular impairmentsubcutaneous injectionnon-proliferative diabetic retinopathycause of blindnessinjection of salineII diabetesSTZ-induced diabetic miceoxidative stresszonula occludens-1retinal degenerationvascular leakagetreatment regimenAryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Agonist VAF347 Impedes Retinal Pathogenesis in Diabetic Mice
Zapadka T, Lindstrom S, Batoki J, Lee C, Taylor B, Howell S, Taylor P. Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Agonist VAF347 Impedes Retinal Pathogenesis in Diabetic Mice. International Journal Of Molecular Sciences 2021, 22: 4335. PMID: 33919327, PMCID: PMC8122442, DOI: 10.3390/ijms22094335.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsnon-proliferative diabetic retinopathydiabetic retinopathyIL-17Adendritic cell maturationcause of blindnessT helper cellsproduction of IL-6diabetic murine modeldiabetic C57BL/6 miceTh17 cell differentiationretinal inflammationTh17 cellsdendritic cellsligand-dependent transcription factorC57BL/6 micecytokine environmentmurine modelretinopathyinflammatory cytokines