PQLC2 identified as a lysosomal pH regulator controlling tau homeostasis
A new preprint led by Mackenzie Welch, with Tara Antee and Vienna Gao from our lab, reports a CRISPRi screen in human neurons that identifies PQLC2 as a regulator of lysosomal acidification. A PQLC2 variant identified in tauopathy impairs acidification and increases tau accumulation. Read the preprint on bioRxiv →
APP degradation is pH-dependent and facilitates tau proteolysis
A study led by Courtney Ackley, with Zoe Liau and Tara Antee from our lab, is now published in Molecular Neurodegeneration Advances. It maps where cathepsins cleave APP, shows that several of these cleavages depend on pH and on the pathogenic E693G and E693Q variants, and finds that soluble APP enhances cleavage of tau by cathepsin G. See the full citation →
Prosaposin is cleaved into saposins by multiple cathepsins
A study led by Molly Hodul, with Vienna Gao from our lab, is now published in the Journal of Neurochemistry. It identifies the cathepsins that cleave prosaposin into saposins and shows that progranulin directly regulates this cleavage by cathepsin D. See the full citation →
Courtney Clark, PhD
Courtney joins the lab as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow after recently moving to San Francisco from New York City.
Vienna Gao
Vienna joins the lab as a Junior Specialist after recently completing her undergraduate studies in Neurobiology at USC.
Zoe Liau
Congratulations to Zoe Liau for getting into med school! Zoe matriculated to the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) in the fall of 2025.