Dr. Jin, has identified a protein that protects retinal photoreceptor cells from degeneration caused by light damage. This result may provide a new therapeutic target for both an inherited retinal degenerative disease and age-related macular degeneration. (Li, S, et al., “Fatty Acid Transport Protein 4 (FATP4) Prevents Light-Induced Degeneration of Cone and Rod Photoreceptors by Inhibiting RPE65 Isomerase” J Neurosci. 2013 Feb 13;33(7):3178-89)

Degrees

Education

1993-2000: Postdoc, Kyoto University & Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan

1989-1993: Ph.D., Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agriculture Science, Beijing, China

1989-1992: Graduate research at the School of Medicine Chiba University, Chiba, Japan

Bio

2020-current: Professor of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience
Neuroscience Center of Excellence, School of Medicine LSUHSC, New Orleans, LA
2014-2019: Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience
Neuroscience Center of Excellence, School of Medicine LSUHSC, New Orleans, LA
2008-2014: Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology and Neuroscience
Neuroscience Center of Excellence, School of Medicine LSUHSC, New Orleans, LA
2001-2008: Assistant and Associate Research Professor in Ophthalmology
Jules Stein Eye Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
2000-2001: Education and Science Instructor,
Gunma University School of Medicine, Japan

Awards/Recognitions/Lectures

2014: The Morino Foundation for Molecular Science Travel Award
2005: Goho Life Science International Foundation Award
2004: CAAS-Sponsored Second-Class Outstanding Scientist
1997-2000: Japan Science and Technology Agency Scholarship
1992-1994: Education Ministry of Japan-Sponsored Overseas Fellowship

Research Interests

Keywords:
Biochemistry and molecular biology of vision, mechanisms of neurodegeneration, alleviation of retinal degeneration

Current Research:

The long-term goals of our current research are to 1) decipher the mechanisms that regulate the visual cycle in the physiological and pathological conditions, 2) identify the signaling pathways leading to retinal neurodegeneration in mouse models with aberrant visual cycle, and 3) develop viable interventions alleviating neurodegeneration caused by mutations in the visual cycle genes.

The phototransduction that converts light energy into electrical energy and neural signal starts with photoisomerization of 11-cis retinaldehyde (11cRAL) to all-trans isomer in Opsin protein, a G-protein coupled receptor in the retinal photoreceptor neurons. Since an Opsin without 11cRAL chromophore is not responsive to light, sustained vision requires continuous regeneration of the light sensitive visual pigment consisting of an 11cRAL and an Opsin protein. In vertebrate eyes, the visual pigment is generated via the visual cycle, a series of enzymatic reactions taking place in the photoreceptor neurons and the retinal pigment epithelium. Dysfunction in any proteins involved in the visual cycle causes vision impairment and retinal degenerative diseases such as Leber’s congenital amaurosis and retinitis pigmentosa. Although the visual cycle is essential for sustaining vision, its intermediates and byproducts are toxic to cells and are involved in the pathogenic mechanisms for Stargardt disease and age-related macular degeneration.

To achieve the research goals, we are currently focusing on 1) screening for new regulators of the visual cycle, 2) generation and characterization of new mouse models for retinal diseases, and 3) pharmacological rescue of photoreceptor function in mouse models of retinal degeneration. We use molecular biology, biochemistry, electrophysiology, and mouse genetics to accomplish these research projects

Teaching Activities

Summer Undergraduate Program in Neurosciences
Neuro 203 - Investigative Neuroscience, Graduate Students
Neuro 250 - Molecular Neurobiology, Graduate Students
CSI100/200 - Clinical Skills Integration/Journal club, 1^st and 2^nd year medical students

Committees & Administrative Responsibilities

2012 – present, Research Enhancement Committee/Internal Funding Review Panel
2013 – present, Committee on Communications
2014 – Present, Sabbatical Leave Review Committee
2015 – Present, Faculty Development and Evaluation Committee
2016 – Present, International Travel Review Committee

Selected Publications

Li S, Gordon WC, Bazan NG, and Jin M. (2020) Inverse correlation between fatty acid transport protein 4 and vision in Leber congenital amaurosis associated with RPE65 mutation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 117: 32114-23.
Li S, Green JF, and Jin M. (2019) Impacts of deletion and Ichthyosis prematurity syndrome-associated mutations in fatty acid transport protein-4 on the function of RPE65. FEBS Lett. 594: 540-52.
Li S, Sato K, Gordon WC, Sendtner M, Bazan NG, and Jin M. (2018) Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) protects retinal cone and rod photoreceptors by suppressing excessive formation of the visual pigments. J Biol Chem. 293: 15256-68.
Li S, Samardzija M, Yang Z, Grimm C, and Jin M. (2016) Pharmacological amelioration of cone survival and vision in a mouse model for Leber congenital amaurosis, J Neurosci 36:5808-19.
Lee M, Li S, Sato K, and Jin M. (2016) Interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein mitigates cellular oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction induced by all-trans-retinal, Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 57:1553-62.
Jin M, Li S, Hu J, Jin HH, Jacobson SG, and Bok D. (2016) Functional rescue of retinal degeneration-associated mutant RPE65 proteins, Adv Exp Med Biol 854:525-32.
Li S, Hu J, Jin RJ, Aiyar A, Jacobson SG, Bok D, and Jin M. (2015) Temperature-sensitive retinoid isomerase activity of RPE65 mutants associated with Leber congenital amaurosis, J Biochem 158:115-25.
Li S, Izumi T, Hu J, Jin HH, Siddiqui AA, Jacobson SG, Bok D, and Jin M. (2014) Rescue of enzymatic function for disease-associated RPE65 proteins containing various missense mutations in non-active sites, J Biol Chem 289:18943-56.
Sato K, Li S, Gordon WC, He J, Liou IG, Hill JM, Travis GH, Bazan GN, and Jin M. (2013) Receptor interacting protein kinase-mediated necrosis contributes to cone and rod photoreceptor degeneration in the retina lacking interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein, J Neurosci 33:17458-68.
S,* Yang Z,* Hu J, Gordon WC, Bazan GN, Haas AL, Bok D, and Jin M. (2013) Secretory defect and cytotoxicity: the potential disease mechanisms for the retinitis pigmentosa (RP)-associated interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein (IRBP), J Biol Chem 288:11395-406 (*co-first author).
Li S, Lee J, Zhou Y, Gordon WC, Hill JM, Bazan NG, Miner JH, and Jin M. (2013) Fatty acid transport protein 4 (FATP4) prevents light-induced degeneration of cone and rod photoreceptors by inhibiting RPE65 isomerase, J Neurosci 33:3178-89.
Kawaguchi R, Yu J, Ter-Stepanian M, Zhong M, Cheng G, Yuan Q, Jin M, Travis GH, Ong D, Sun H. (2011) Receptor-mediated cellular uptake mechanism that couples to intracellular storage, ACS Chem Biol 6:1041-51.
Guignard TJ, Jin M, Pequignot MO, Li S, Chassigneux Y, Chekroud K, Guillou L, Richard E, Hamel CP, and Brabet P (2010) FATP1 inhibits 11-cis retinol formation via interaction with the visual cycle retinoid isomerase RPE65 and lecithin:retinol acyltransferase, J Biol Chem 285:18759-68.
Philpa AR,* Jin M,* Li S, Schindler E, Iannaccone A, Lam BL, Weleber RG, Fishman SA, Jacobson SG, Mullins R, Travis GH, and Stone EM (2009) Predicting the pathogenicity of RPE65 mutations, Hum Mutat 30:1183-88. (*co-first author).
Jin M, Li S, Nusinowitz S, Lloyd M, Hu J, Radu R, Bok D, and Travis GH. (2009) The role of interphotoreceptor retinoid-binding protein on the translocation of visual retinoid and survival of cone photoreceptors, J Neurosci 29:1486-95.
Kusakabe Y, Takimoto N, Jin M, and Tsuda M. (2009) Evolution of the retinoid cycle in vertebrates, Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 364:2897-910.
Jin M, Yuan Q, Li S, Travis GH. (2007) Role of LRAT on the retinoid isomerase activity and association of Rpe65 with membrane, J Biol Chem 282:20915-24.
Jin M, Ishida M, Katoh-Fukui Y, Tsuchiya R, Higashinakagawa T, and Arimatsu Y. (2006) Reduced pain sensitivity in mice lacking Latexin, an inhibitor for metallocarboxypeptidases, Brain Res 1075:117-21.
Kaschula CH, Jin M, Desmond-Smith NS, Li S, and Travis GH. (2006) Acyl CoA: retinol acyltransferase (ARAT) activity is present in bovine retinal pigment epithelium, Exp Eye Res 82:111-21.
Jin M, Li S, Moghrabi WN, Sun H, and Travis GH. (2005) RPE65 is the retinoid isomerase in bovine retinal pigment epithelium, Cell 122:449-59.

Additional Info

Funding

Mechanisms that regulate RPE65 isomerase in normal and blindness-associated RPE Principal Investigator (PI): M. Jin, NIH-R01EY028572
RPE apical proteins that regulate the visual cycle
PI: M. Jin, NIH-R21EY028255

Additional Info

Funding

Regulation of normal and Leber congenital amaurosis-associated RPE65s; Investigator: M. Jin, NIH-1R01EY021208-01A1

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Minghao Jin, Ph.D.

Professor of Neuroscience and Ophthalmology