Background
Drusen are extracellular lesions characteristic of aging and age-related maculopathy, a major retinal disease of the elderly. We determined the relative proportions of lipids and proteins in drusen capped with retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and in RPE isolated from non-macular regions of 36 human retinas with grossly normal maculas obtained <6 hr after death. Methodology/principal findings: Druse pellets were examined by light and electron microscopy. Component proteins were extracted using novel
Significance
At least 40% of druse content is comprised by lipids dominated by EC and PC, 2 components that are potentially accounted for by just one pathway, the secretion of lipoproteins by RPE. Manipulating genes encoding apolipoprotein pathways would be a fruitful approach to producing drusen with high EC content in laboratory animals. Therapies that directly mitigate drusen should prepare for the substantial volume of neutral lipids. The catalog of major druse proteins is nearing completion.