ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2025
MFRP is a molecular hub that organizes the apical membrane of RPE cells by engaging in interactions with specific proteins and lipids.
Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Polyunsaturated fatty acid metabolism in the retinal pigment epithelium and its association with outer retinal disease.Mammalian genome : official journal of the International Mammalian Genome Society · 2026Review
- Lipid homeostasis plays a critical role in inherited and acquired retinal diseases.Communications biology · 2026Review
- Cellular Biological Basis and Novel Breakthroughs in the Pathogenesis of Myopia - A Narrative Review.International journal of general medicine · 2026Review
- Identification of coexisting Mfrprd6 and Pde6brd10 mutations causing spontaneous retinal detachment in commercially available rd6 mice.PloS one · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
17 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Membrane frizzled-related protein (MFRP), present in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), is an integral membrane protein essential for ocular development and the normal physiology of the retina. Mutations in MFRP are associated with autosomal recessive nonsyndromic nanophthalmos, leading to severe hyperopia and early-onset retinitis pigmentosa. While several preclinical gene-augmentation and gene-editing trials hold promise for future therapies aimed at stopping degeneration and restoring retinal function, the molecular mechanisms involved in MFRP biology are still not well understood. Here, we studied the biochemical properties of MFRP and the molecular consequences of its loss of function in the retinal degeneration 6 (rd6) mouse model. Using transcriptomic and lipidomic approaches, we observed that accumulation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) constitutes a primary defect in the MFRP-deficient RPE. In biochemical assays, we showed that MFRP undergoes extensive glycosylation, and it preferentially binds lipids of several classes, including phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate; as well as binding to several transmembrane proteins, notably adiponectin receptor 1 (ADIPOR1) and inward rectifier potassium channel 13 (KCNJ13). Moreover, MFRP determines the subcellular localization of ADIPOR1 and KCNJ13 in the RPE in vivo. This feature is altered by MFRP deficiency and can be restored by gene-therapy approaches. Overall, our observations suggest that MFRP constitutes an important interaction hub within the apical membrane of RPE cells, coordinating protein trafficking and subcellular localization within the RPE, and lipid homeostasis within the entire retina.
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Registered trials
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