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

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.

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

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.

Isocitrate dehydrogenase 3b is required for spermiogenesis but dispensable for retinal viability.

Isocitrate dehydrogenase 3 (IDH3) is a key enzyme in the mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, which catalyzes the decarboxylation of isocitrate into α-ketoglutarate and concurrently converts NAD into NADH. Dysfunction of IDH3B, the β subunit of IDH3, has been previously correlated with retinal degeneration and male infertility in humans, but tissue-specific effects of IDH3 dysfunction are unclear. Here, we generated Idh3b-KO mice and found that IDH3B is essential for IDH3 activity in multiple tissues.

Low- and high-carbohydrate diets: body composition differences in rats.

Objective: To determine differences in adipose tissue mass, cell size, and lipid metabolism transcripts and differences in composition of body weight loss and energy expenditure (EE) after isoenergetic, energy-restricted intake of low-carbohydrate/high-fat/high-protein (LC) and high-carbohydrate/low-fat/moderate-protein (HC) diets.

Research Methods And Procedures: Ten-week old female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high-fat diet ad libitum for 8 weeks to induce weight gain and fat deposition. Weight-matched rats were then assigned to isoenergetic LC (Atkins) and HC (American Dietary Association Exchange) diets for 10 weeks at 65% of ad libitum energy intake.

Isomers of conjugated linoleic acid modulate human preadipocyte differentiation.

Conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) reduce fat deposition in several mammalian species. Among the proposed mechanisms for this effect are reduced preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation. We measured proliferation and differentiation of cultured human preadipocytes treated with CLAs.