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A Phenotyping Regimen for Genetically Modified Mice Used to Study Genes Implicated in Human Diseases of Aging
Published on: July 14, 2016
Altered cholesterol homeostasis in aged macrophages linked to neovascular macular degeneration
1Department of Ophthalmology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Cell Metabolism
|April 9, 2013
Abstract:
Abnormal lipid metabolism has been linked to age-related macular degeneration (AMD); choroidal neovascularization in late AMD commonly causes blindness. Sene et al. (2013) now demonstrate that in aged macrophages decreased ABCA1 expression, regulated by liver X receptor and miR-33, impairs export of intracellular cholesterol, which promotes neovascular AMD.
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Overview
Cholesterol: Significance and Regulation
Although not a source of energy, cholesterol plays a significant role as a foundational structure for bile salts, steroid hormones, and vitamin D, as well as being a crucial component of plasma membranes. Approximately 15% of blood cholesterol is derived from our diet, with the remainder synthesized from acetyl CoA by the liver and intestines. Cholesterol is eliminated from the body through its conversion into bile salts, which are eventually discarded in the feces.
Considering cholesterol and...
Considering cholesterol and...
