Limitations in PPARα-dependent mitochondrial programming restrain the differentiation of human stem cell-derived β cells

Anne Lietzke, Emily M. Walker, Elizabeth J. Bealer, Kelly Crumley, Jessica L King, Ava M. Stendahl, Jie Zhu, Gemma L. Pearson, Elena Levi-D'Ancona, Belle A. Henry-Kanarek, Rebecca K. Davidson, Jin Li, Emma C. Reck, Yifei Wu, M. Arnipalli, John-Paul A Pham, Lakshmi Mundada, Vaibhav Sidarala, Todd J. Herron, Maria M. Coronel, Subramaniam Pennathur, J. G. Madsen, Lonnie D. Shea, S. Soleimanpour

Nature Communications, 2025

LONP1 regulation of mitochondrial protein folding provides insight into beta cell failure in type 2 diabetes

Jin Li, Yamei Deng, Marie Gasser, Jie Zhu, Emily M. Walker, Vaibhav Sidarala, Emma C. Reck, Dre L Hubers, Mabelle B. Pasmooij, Chun-Shik Shin, Khushdeep Bandesh, Eftyhmios Motakis, Siddhi Nargund, R. Kursawe, V. Basrur, Alexey I. Nesvizhskii, M. Stitzel, David C. Chan, G. A. Rutter, S. Soleimanpour

Nature Metabolism, 2025

Mitophagy in the adaptation to pancreatic β cell stress in diabetes.

Elena Levi-D'Ancona, Ava M. Stendahl, Belle A. Henry-Kanarek, Rebecca K. Davidson, Emily M. Walker, S. Soleimanpour

Trends in endocrinology and metabolism, 2025

Retrograde mitochondrial signaling governs the identity and maturity of metabolic tissues.

E. Walker, Gemma L. Pearson, Nathan Lawlor, Ava M. Stendahl, Anne Lietzke, Vaibhav Sidarala, Jie Zhu, Tracy Stromer, Emma C. Reck, Jin Li, Elena Levi-D'Ancona, Mabelle B. Pasmooij, Dre L Hubers, Aaron Renberg, Kawthar Mohamed, V. Parekh, Irina X. Zhang, B. Thompson, Deqiang Zhang, Sarah A. Ware, L. Haataja, Nathan R. Qi, Stephen C. J. Parker, P. Arvan, L. Yin, B. Kaufman, L. Satin, L. Sussel, M. Stitzel, S. Soleimanpour

Science, 2025

TRAF6 integrates innate immune signals to regulate glucose homeostasis via Parkin-dependent and Parkin-independent mitophagy

Elena Levi-D'Ancona, Emily M. Walker, Jie Zhu, Yamei Deng, Vaibhav Sidarala, Ava M. Stendahl, Emma C. Reck, Belle A. Henry-Kanarek, Anne Lietzke, Biaoxin Chai, Mabelle B. Pasmooij, Dre L Hubers, V. Basrur, Sankar Ghosh, Linsey Stiles, Alexey I. Nesvizhskii, O. Shirihai, S. Soleimanpour

Science Advances, 2025

A metabolic redox relay supports ER proinsulin export in pancreatic islet β cells

Kristen E. Rohli, Nicole J Stubbe, Emily M. Walker, Gemma L. Pearson, S. Soleimanpour, Samuel B. Stephens

JCI Insight, 2024

A versatile pumpless multi-channel fluidics system for maintenance and real-time functional assessment of tissue and cells

Varun Kamat, Matthew K. Grumbine, Khang Bao, Kedar Mokate, Gamal I. Khalil, Daniel Cook, Brandon Clearwater, Richard Hirst, Jarrod C Harman, Myriam Boeck, Z. Fu, Lois E H Smith, Moloy T. Goswami, T. Wubben, Emily M. Walker, Jie Zhu, S. Soleimanpour, J. Scarlett, Brian M. Robbings, Daniel T. Hass, James B. Hurley, Ian R. Sweet

Cell Reports Methods, 2023

Defining unique structural features in the MAFA and MAFB transcription factors that control Insulin gene activity

J. Cha, Xin Tong, Katie C. Coate, M. Guo, Jin-hua Liu, Garrett Reynolds, E. Walker, Richard A. Stein, H. Mchaourab, Roland W Stein

bioRxiv, 2023

Mitofusin 1 and 2 regulation of mitochondrial DNA content is a critical determinant of glucose homeostasis

Vaibhav Sidarala, Jie Zhu, Elena Levi-D'Ancona, Gemma L. Pearson, Emma C. Reck, E. Walker, B. Kaufman, S. Soleimanpour

Nature Communications, 2022

Species-specific roles for the MAFA and MAFB transcription factors in regulating islet β cell identity

J. Cha, X. Tong, E. Walker, T. Dahan, Veronica Cochrane, Sudipta Ashe, Ronan Russell, Anna B. Osipovich, Alex M. Mawla, M. Guo, Jin-hua Liu, M. Huising, M. Magnuson, M. Hebrok, Y. Dor, R. Stein

bioRxiv, 2022

A Selective Look at Autophagy in Pancreatic β-Cells

Gemma L. Pearson, Morgan A. Gingerich, E. Walker, T. J. Biden, S. Soleimanpour

Diabetes, 2021

Heterogenous impairment of α-cell function in type 2 diabetes is linked to cell maturation state

X. Dai, J. Camunas-Soler, L. Briant, Theodore dos Santos, A. Spigelman, Emily M. Walker, Rafael Arrojo e Drigo, Austin Bautista, Robert C. Jones, J. Lyon, Aifang Nie, Nancy Smith, J. M. Fox, Seung K. Kim, Patrik Rorsman, Roland W Stein, S. Quake, P. MacDonald

bioRxiv, 2021

New Aspects of Diabetes Research and Therapeutic Development

L. Satin, S. Soleimanpour, E. Walker

Pharmacological Reviews, 2021

Sex-biased islet β cell dysfunction is caused by the MODY MAFA S64F variant by inducing premature aging and senescence in males

E. Walker, J. Cha, X. Tong, M. Guo, Jin-hua Liu, Sophia Yu, D. Iacovazzo, F. Mauvais-Jarvis, S. Flanagan, M. Korbonits, J. Stafford, D. Jacobson, R. Stein

Cell Reports, 2021

Loss of the transcription factor MAFB limits β-cell derivation from human PSCs

Ronan Russell, Phichitpol P. Carnese, Thomas G. Hennings, E. Walker, H. Russ, Jennifer S. Liu, Simone Giacometti, R. Stein, M. Hebrok

Nature Communications, 2020

Myt Transcription Factors Prevent Stress-Response Gene Overactivation to Enable Postnatal Pancreatic β Cell Proliferation, Function, and Survival.

Ruiying Hu, E. Walker, Chen Huang, Yanwen Xu, Chen Weng, Gillian E Erickson, Anastasia Coldren, Xiaodun Yang, M. Brissova, I. Kaverina, B. Appakalai, C. Wright, Yan Li, R. Stein, Guoqiang Gu

Developmental Cell, 2020

Rapid Crypt Cell Remodeling Regenerates the Intestinal Stem Cell Niche after Notch Inhibition

Natacha Bohin, Theresa M. Keeley, Alexis J. Carulli, E. Walker, Elizabeth A. Carlson, Jie Gao, I. Aifantis, C. Siebel, Michael W. Rajala, M. Myers, Jennifer C. Jones, Constance D. Brindley, P. Dempsey, L. Samuelson

Stem Cell Reports, 2020

The MAFA gene mutation responsible for familial insulinomatosis and diabetes impairs insulin secretion and results in downregulation of critical cell cycle regulators

D. Iacovazzo, Lim Chung Thong, Rosana Quezado, J. Drummond, D. Antonio, J. Cuenco, M. Brändle, E. Walker, M. Guo, D. Collier, Faraz Khan, Jun Wang, T. Tan, S. Ellard, R. Stein, M. Korbonits

2020

Examining How the MAFB Transcription Factor Affects Islet β-Cell Function Postnatally

H. Cyphert, E. Walker, Y. Hang, S. Dhawan, Rachana Haliyur, Lauren Bonatakis, D. Avrahami, M. Brissova, K. Kaestner, A. Bhushan, A. Powers, R. Stein

Diabetes, 2018

MAFA missense mutation causes familial insulinomatosis and diabetes mellitus

D. Iacovazzo, S. Flanagan, E. Walker, Rosana Quezado, F. A. de Sousa Barros, R. Caswell, Matthew B. Johnson, M. Wakeling, M. Brändle, M. Guo, M. Dang, P. Gabrovska, B. Niederle, E. Christ, S. Jenni, B. Sipos, Maike Nieser, A. Frilling, K. Dhatariya, P. Chanson, W. D. de Herder, B. Konukiewitz, G. Klöppel, R. Stein, M. Korbonits, S. Ellard

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2018

Synaptotagmin 4 Regulates Pancreatic β Cell Maturation by Modulating the Ca2+ Sensitivity of Insulin Secretion Vesicles.

Chen Huang, E. Walker, Prasanna K. Dadi, Ruiying Hu, Yanwen Xu, Wenjian Zhang, Tiziana Sanavia, J. Mun, Jennifer S. Liu, Gopika G. Nair, H. A. Tan, Sui Wang, M. Magnuson, C. Stoeckert, M. Hebrok, M. Gannon, W. Han, R. Stein, D. Jacobson, Guoqiang Gu

Developmental Cell, 2018

A Dynamic WNT/β-CATENIN Signaling Environment Leads to WNT-Independent and WNT-Dependent Proliferation of Embryonic Intestinal Progenitor Cells

Alana M. Chin, Y. Tsai, Stacy R. Finkbeiner, Melinda S. Nagy, E. Walker, Nicole J. Ethen, B. Williams, M. Battle, J. Spence

Stem Cell Reports, 2016

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus From Inactivation of Prolactin Receptor and MafB in Islet β-Cells

Ronadip R. Banerjee, H. Cyphert, E. Walker, Harini Chakravarthy, H. Peiris, Xueying Gu, Yinghua Liu, Elizabeth Conrad, L. Goodrich, R. Stein, Seung K. Kim

Diabetes, 2016

GATA4 Regulates Epithelial Cell Proliferation to Control Intestinal Growth and Development in Mice

B. Kohlnhofer, Cayla A. Thompson, E. Walker, M. Battle

Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 2015

Lack of Prox1 Downregulation Disrupts the Expansion and Maturation of Postnatal Murine β-Cells

Leena Paul, E. Walker, Yiannis Drosos, H. Cyphert, G. Neale, R. Stein, Jack C. M. South, G. Grosveld, P. Herrera, B. Sosa-Pineda

Diabetes, 2015

Characterization of the developing small intestine in the absence of either GATA4 or GATA6

E. Walker, Cayla A. Thompson, B. Kohlnhofer, Mary L. Faber, M. Battle

BMC Research Notes, 2014

GATA4 and GATA6 regulate intestinal epithelial cytodifferentiation during development.

E. Walker, Cayla A. Thompson, M. Battle

Developmental Biology, 2014

E-cadherin is required for intestinal morphogenesis in the mouse.

Benjamin J Bondow, Mary L. Faber, Kevin J Wojta, E. Walker, M. Battle

Developmental Biology, 2012