Proline provides a nitrogen source in the retinal pigment epithelium to synthesize and export amino acids for the neural retina.

ABSTRACT: It is known that metabolic defects in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) can cause degeneration of its neighboring photoreceptors in the retina, leading to retinal degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration. However, how RPE metabolism supports the health of the neural retina remains unclear. The retina requires exogenous nitrogen sources for protein synthesis, neurotransmission, and energy metabolism. Using 15N tracing coupled with mass spectrometry, we found human RPE can utilize the nitrogen in proline to produce and export 13 amino acids, including glutamate, aspartate, glutamine, alanine and serine. Similarly, we found this proline nitrogen utilization in the mouse RPE/choroid but not in the neural retina of explant cultures. Co-culture of human RPE with the reti

SUBMITTER: Zhu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10153141 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature