In vivoexchange of glucose and lactate between photoreceptors and the retinal pigment epithelium

Photoreceptors in the retina of a vertebrate’s eye are supported by a tissue adjacent to the retina, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). The RPE delivers glucose to the outer retina, consumes photoreceptor outer segments discs, and regenerates 11-cis-retinal. Here we address the question of whether photoreceptors also provide metabolic support to the RPE. We use complementary approaches and animal models to show that glucose is the primary fuel for the retina, that photoreceptors are the primary cell type in the retina to consume glucose, and that lactate derived from photoreceptor glucose consumption is transported to and catabolized by the RPE. These data rigorously support and extend the concept of a metabolic ecosystem between photoreceptors and RPE.