There was almost no myelin in specific sub-regions of the XDP brain! (and when there was... it was funkyyy 👀)

🐭 The motor deficits are wild! Check it out!

Together with @kerrylimberg.bsky.social, @liddelowsa.bsky.social, @jefboeke.bsky.social, & many amazing collaborators, we show that inducing the humanized XDP-TAF1 allele in neural progenitor cells recapitulates key features of the human disease 👉 striatal atrophy and progressive motor decline.

I am proud to share our work on X-linked Dystonia-Parkinsonism — a rare neurodegenerative movement disorder driven by a SINE-VNTR-Alu retrotransposon insertion in the TAF1 gene.

Read our two companion papers:
🔹 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
🔹 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

🧵 Highlights below!

Meet M, our microglia superheroine 🦸‍♀️💥

After chugging the magical DGAT2-Stop! Kool-Aid 💊🧃, she breaks free from her lipid droplet shackles 💥💪

Supercharged, she lifts the amyloid beams 🧱 trapping neurons and saves the city of Brain 🧠🏙️!

Our cover submission for @cp-immunity.bsky.social. #notthecover