Cited by 200Advanced Glycation End Products researchRetinal Diseases and TreatmentsGenetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 106 of the 106 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; none of the 59 sources its claims cite is checked for support yet.

Glycation‐altered proteolysis as a pathobiologic mechanism that links dietary glycemic index, aging, and age‐related disease (in nondiabetics)

Open access

Abstract

Summary: Epidemiologic studies indicate that the risks for major age‐related debilities including coronary heart disease, diabetes, and age‐related macular degeneration (AMD) are diminished in people who consume lower glycemic index (GI) diets, but lack of a unifying physiobiochemical mechanism that explains the salutary effect is a barrier to implementing dietary practices that capture the benefits of consuming lower GI diets. We established a simple murine model of age‐related retinal lesions that precede AMD (hereafter called AMD‐like lesions). We found that consuming a higher GI diet promotes these AMD‐like lesions. However, mice that consumed the lower vs. higher GI diet had significantly reduced frequency (P < 0.02) and severity (P < 0.05) of hallmark age‐related retinal lesions such as basal deposits. Consuming higher GI diets was associated with > 3 fold higher accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in retina, lens, liver, and brain in the age‐matched mice, suggesting that higher GI diets induce systemic glycative stress that is etiologic for lesions. Data from live cell and cell‐free systems show that the ubiquitin–proteasome system (UPS) and lysosome/autophagy pathway [lysosomal proteolytic system (LPS)] are involved in the degradation of AGEs. Glycatively modified substrates were degraded significantly slower than unmodified substrates by the UPS. Compounding the detriments of glycative stress, AGE modification of ubiquitin and ubiquitin‐conjugating enzymes impaired UPS activities. Furthermore, ubiquitin conjugates and AGEs accumulate and are found in lysosomes when cells are glycatively stressed or the UPS or LPS/autophagy are inhibited, indicating that the UPS and LPS interact with one another to degrade AGEs. Together, these data explain why AGEs accumulate as glycative stress increases.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

In a murine model, consuming a lower glycemic index diet delayed AMD-like retinal lesions and reduced tissue accumulation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), while a higher GI diet increased glycative stress. Glycation impairs protein degradation by making substrates resistant and damaging ubiquitination machinery, with the ubiquitin-proteasome system and autophagic-lysosomal pathway cooperating to clear AGEs.

Key findings

  • In 23.5-month-old mice fed low vs. high GI diets for 7 months, lower GI was associated with less deposition of basal laminar deposits (p=0.02) and smaller basal laminar deposits (p=0.05); the abstract reports reduced frequency (p<0.02) and severity (p<0.05) of hallmark age-related retinal lesions.
  • Higher GI diets were associated with ~3-, 7-, 8-, and 34-fold higher levels of MG-H1 in retina, liver, lens, and brain, respectively, in age-matched mice; human lens showed 8-fold higher MG-H1 in a 76- vs. 22-year-old, and mouse brain showed 1.5-fold higher AGEs at 22 vs. 3 months.
  • MGO exposure reduced intracellular protein degradation by 60% at 1.7 mM and >80% at 2.5 mM; glycated ubiquitin decreased degradation of αA162 by ~27% (G6P-modified) and ~40% (MGO-modified), whereas wild-type ubiquitin increased degradation by ≥20% and unmodified Ubc4 increased degradation by 80%.
  • UPS and LPS/autophagy inhibitors delayed AGE clearance: at 14 h after 1 mM MGO, inhibitors retained ~2-fold higher MG-H1; 3MA increased AGE levels by >70%; blocking both UPS and LPS doubled the AGE/ubiquitin-conjugate ratio in the ubiquitin-conjugate pool.

Methods

  • C57BL/6 mice (and some 129SvPas mice) were fed low- vs. high-GI diets; retinal lesions were assessed by electron microscopy (>84 fields in four low-GI and three high-GI 23.5-month-old mice after 7 months), alongside glucose tolerance, AGE/MG-H1 measurements, carbonyls, and immunohistochemistry in retina, lens, liver, and brain.
  • Cultured RPE cells and cell-free lysates were exposed to glucose or MGO; analyses included intracellular proteolysis assays, UPS reporter Ub-G76V-GFP, ubiquitination/degradation assays with wild-type or glycated ubiquitin and Ubc4, proteasome activity, lysosomal fractionation, colocalization, and pulldown of ubiquitin conjugates, with inhibitors of the UPS, LPS, and autophagy (3MA).
  • Experimental procedures are stated to be in Supporting Information.

Limitations

  • Stated: small sample size meant some retinal differences (basal infoldings, cytoplasmic vacuoles) were not statistically significant; the possibility that some lysosomal AGEs are formed in situ could not be eliminated.
  • Evident: mechanistic conclusions rely heavily on cultured RPE and cell-free systems, so the causal link in humans is not directly tested; high-GI mice had higher HOMA-IR than low-GI mice, although fasting insulin and glucose were within normal ranges, indicating diet effects were separable from diabetes but not metabolically identical.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2011.00752.x

Cites

106 of 106 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

50 Own result · 39 Own interpretation · 29 Not checked yet · 6 No basis given · 3 Own method

Verify all 59 references — free account
  • It may state two separate claims as one. 24
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 6
29 of 29
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    No pathobiochemical mechanism explaining why lower GI diets have salutary advantages is currently available.

    “Pathobiochemical mechanisms that indicate why such critical salutary advantage is derived from lower GI diets are currently unavailable.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    To date, consuming high GI diets has been associated only with accumulation of AGEs in blood.

    “To date consuming high GI diets has been associated only with accumulation of AGEs in blood.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Most prior work regarding the effects of AGEs focused on extracellular and signaling events, leaving intracellular activities poorly understood.

    “Most prior work regarding the effects of AGEs focused on extracellular and signaling events, leaving intracellular activities poorly understood.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There have been no studies that investigated or modeled the effects of consuming low or high GI diets on proteopoise.

    “However, there have been no studies which investigated or modeled the effects of consuming low or high GI diets on proteopoise: defined here as the combined effects to the proteome of protein modification and altered proteolytic capacities.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Literature describing roles for each pathway and interactions between these proteolytic systems with regard to degradation of glycated proteins is scanty.

    “However, literature that describes roles for each pathway as well as interactions between these proteolytic systems with regard to degradation of glycated proteins is scanty.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Levels of AGEs are determined by rates of formation and removal.

    “Levels of AGEs are determined by rates of formation and removal.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There is a lack of suitable animal models of GI-disease relationships.

    “the lack of suitable animal models of GI-disease relationships”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    There is an absence of established intracellular biochemical mechanisms that link epidemiologic data to AMD and several other widely prevalent age-related diseases.

    “the absence of established intracellular biochemical mechanisms that link the epidemiologic data that indicates that consuming higher GI diets is related to higher risk for AMD and several other widely prevalent age-related diseases.”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Consuming higher GI diets is related to higher risk for AMD and several other widely prevalent age-related diseases.

    “consuming higher GI diets is related to higher risk for AMD and several other widely prevalent age-related diseases.”
9 of 9

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Citations

Cites

Show all 106 references

Research works printed but not linked: 5

  1. Chiu CJ, 2007, Dietary glycemic index is related to progression of age‐related macular degeneration, Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., 48, 2101
  2. Chylack LT, 1994, Nuclear cataract: relative contributions to vision loss of opalescence and brunescence (abstract), Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., 35, 42632
  3. Shang F, 1995, Changes in ubiquitin conjugation activities in young and old lenses in response to oxidative stress, Inv. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., 36, S528
  4. Warburg O, 1924, Improved method of measurement of respiration and glycosis, Biochem. Z., 152, 51
  5. WeikelK TaylorA(2011)Nutritional modulation of cataract and age‐related macular degeneration. Duane’s Ophthalmology vol. 1 Philadelphia PA USA:Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

Cited by

Sorted by citations

See all 200

Metadata

Authors
Uchiki, T., Weikel, K. A., Jiao, W., Shang, F., Caceres, A., Pawlak, D., Handa, J. T., Brownlee, M., Nagaraj, R., & Taylor, A.
Affiliations
  • Tufts University (US)
  • Boston Children's Hospital (US)
  • Johns Hopkins University (US)
  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine (US)
  • Case Western Reserve University (US)
Corresponding author
Taylor, Allen
Venue
Aging Cell
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2011-11-15
Volume
11
Issue
1
Pages
1-13
ISSN
  • 1474-9718 (ISSN-L)
  • 1474-9726
OpenAlex
W1501698769
Cited by
200
References
106
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 10 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 18
FWCI
8.41
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Aging Cell (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Agriculture (1950‐510000‐060‐01A)
  • National Institutes of Health
  • U.S. Public Health Service (R01-13250, R01 21212)
  • National Eye Institute (R01EY021212, R01EY014005, R01 EY21212, R01 EY13250, R01EY013250, R01EY019904)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Clinical Biochemistry › Advanced Glycation End Products research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Ophthalmology › Retinal Diseases and Treatments
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Aging › Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
Keywords
glycemic index, advanced glycation end products, glycation stress, age-related macular degeneration, retinal lesions, ubiquitin-proteasome system, lysosomal proteolysis, autophagy, ubiquitin conjugation, aging, age-related diseases, glycemic load
MeSH terms
Aging, Animals, Autophagy, Cell-Free System, Diet, Disease Models, Animal, Glucose, Humans, Lysosomes, Macular Degeneration, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Retina, Severity of Illness Index, Glycation End Products, Advanced, Ubiquitin, Glycemic Index, Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes, Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex, Mice

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

A language model drew the claims from the paper on 2026-10-10, under version 3 of the claim definition (model deepseek-v4.1-flash, prompt extract-v3).

A second model labelled each claim on 2026-10-10 (model jev-1.13-20260917, definition revision gold-guideline-v0.2).

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review