How sugar fuels sight: Glucose metabolism linked to epigenetic and gene expression changes in the retina

National Eye Institute (NEI) scientists have found that the way the retina metabolizes glucose directly controls which genes get switched on and off in light-sensing photoreceptors. The findings suggest that metabolic disruptions seen in aging and disease may directly destabilize the gene expression needed to keep photoreceptors healthy, opening new avenues for treating retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of vision loss. The work is published in PLOS Genetics.