Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40555726›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Apolipoprotein M attenuates age-related macular degeneration phenotypes via sphingosine-1-phosphate signaling and lysosomal lipid catabolism.

Tae Jun Lee, Andrea Santeford, Kristen M Pitts, Carla Valenzuela Ripoll, Ryo Terao, Zhen Guo, Mualla Ozcan, Dagmar Kratky, Christina Christoffersen, Ali Javaheri and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. 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 · 2026
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Tae Jun LeeJohn F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2699-2573
Andrea SantefordJohn F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Kristen M PittsJohn F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Carla Valenzuela RipollDepartment of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Ryo TeraoJohn F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Zhen GuoDepartment of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8421-4852
Mualla OzcanDepartment of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
Dagmar KratkyGottfried Schatz Research Center, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
Christina ChristoffersenDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3751-5203
Ali JavaheriDepartment of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. ali.javaheri@wustl.edu.
Rajendra S ApteJohn F. Hardesty, MD Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. apte@wustl.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2281-2336

Funding

Washington University Nutrition Obesity Research CenterP30DK056341 · NIDDK · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Dominic N Reeds · 1999 to 2026
$30.2M
WU P&FP30DK020579 · NIDDK · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Clay F. Semenkovich · 2013 to 2026
$27.1M
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY CENTER VISION RESEARCHP30EY002687 · NEI · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Steven Bassnett · 1985 to 2026
$18.4M
THE IMPORTANCE OF MACROPHAGE SENESCENCE IN REGULATING ANGIOGENESIS IN THE EYER01EY019287 · NEI · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI APTE, RAJENDRA S · 2010 to 2021
$3.9M
Apolipoprotein M: a novel regulator of myocardial AutophagyR01HL155344 · NHLBI · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI JAVAHERI, ALI · 2021 to 2025
$3.1M
HARNESSING THE LYSOSOME MACHINERY IN MACROPHAGES TO PREVENT HEART FAILUREK08HL138262 · NHLBI · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI JAVAHERI, ALI · 2017 to 2021
$752k
NEI NIH HHS P30 EY002687NEI NIH HHS R01 EY019287NHLBI NIH HHS K08 HL138262NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL155344NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK020579NIDDK NIH HHS P30 DK056341
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness in people over 50. AMD and cardiovascular disease share risk factors including age, impaired lipid metabolism, and extracellular lipid deposition. Because of its importance in age-related diseases, we hypothesize that apolipoprotein M (ApoM), a lipocalin that binds sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), might restore lipid homeostasis and retinal function in AMD. In support, we find that human patients with AMD demonstrate significantly reduced ApoM compared to controls. In mice with impaired retinal cholesterol efflux, ApoM improves retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) function and lipotoxicity in an S1P- and S1P receptor 3-dependent manner. Ultrastructural evidence of enhanced melanosome-lipid droplet interactions led us to hypothesize and demonstrate that ApoM-S1P signaling drives RPE-specific lysosomal lipid catabolism. RPE-specific knockout of lysosomal acid lipase recapitulates features of AMD. Our study defines a novel role for ApoM/S1P signaling in AMD driven by RPE lipotoxicity, mediated by cell-autonomous lysosomal lipid catabolism.

Indexed as

Apolipoproteins MLipid MetabolismLysophospholipidsLysosomesMacular DegenerationSphingosineAgedAnimalsCholesterolFemaleHumansMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLMice, KnockoutPhenotypeApolipoproteins MAPOM protein, humanApoM protein, mouseCholesterolLysophospholipidsSphingosinesphingosine 1-phosphate

Identifiers

PMID40555726
PMCPMC12187922

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.