PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Mark A. Kanow
AU  - Michelle M. Giarmarco
AU  - Connor Jankowski
AU  - Kristine Tsantilas
AU  - Abbi L. Engel
AU  - Jianhai Du
AU  - Jonathan D. Linton
AU  - Christopher C. Farnsworth
AU  - Stephanie R. Sloat
AU  - Ken J. Lindsay
AU  - Edward D. Parker
AU  - Susan E. Brockerhoff
AU  - Martin Sadilek
AU  - Jennifer R. Chao
AU  - James B. Hurley
TI  - Biochemical adaptations of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium support a metabolic ecosystem in the vertebrate eye
AID  - 10.1101/143347
DP  - 2017 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 143347
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/05/29/143347.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2017/05/29/143347.full
AB  - Here we report multiple lines of evidence for a comprehensive model for retinal energy metabolism. Metabolic flux, locations of key enzymes and our finding that glucose enters the neural retina almost entirely through photoreceptors support a conceptually new model for retinal metabolism. In this model, glucose from the choroidal blood supply passes through the retinal pigment epithelium to the retina where photoreceptors convert it to lactate. Photoreceptors then export the lactate as fuel for the retinal pigment epithelium and for neighboring Müller glial cells. A key feature of this model is that aerobic glycolysis in photoreceptors produces lactate to suppress glycolysis in the neighboring retinal pigment epithelium. That enhances the flow of glucose to the retina by minimizing consumption of glucose within the retinal pigment epithelium. This framework for metabolic relationships in retina provides new insights into the underlying causes of retinal disease, age-related vision loss and metabolism-based therapies.