ArticleProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America2022
Aster proteins mediate carotenoid transport in mammalian cells.
Article in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 37 citations in OpenAlex.
- A CRISPR activation screen identifies CH25H as a restriction factor against influenza viruses by targeting accessible cholesterol.Emerging microbes & infections · 2026Article
- Carotenoid bioavailability in humans reflects the mammalian nocturnal bottleneck: a position paper.Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition · 2026Article
- Consuming your colors: carotenoid and retinol availability affects expression of color related genes in the mimic poison frog (Ranitomeya imitator).BMC genomics · 2025Article
- The multimodal transcriptional response of denervated skeletal muscle involves regulation ofProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Recent advances in carotenoid absorption, distribution, and elimination.Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular and cell biology of lipids · 2025Review
- Aster-B Modulates Oxidative Stress Responses and Carotenoid Distribution in ARPE-19 Cells.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Unveiling BCO2 function in macular pigment metabolism: Mitochondrial processing and expression in the primate retina.Biochimica et biophysica acta. Molecular and cell biology of lipids · 2025Article
- Distinct pathways for the absorption and metabolism of β-carotene and zeaxanthin in the mouse intestine.Journal of lipid research · 2025Article
- Imaging macular carotenoids and their related proteins in the human retina with confocal resonance Raman and fluorescence microscopy.Experimental eye research · 2024Article
- The Absorption, Storage, and Transport of Ocular Carotenoids and Retinoids.Annual review of vision science · 2024Review
- Dynamic and Energetic Aspects of Carotenoids In-and-Around Model Lipid Membranes Revealed in Molecular Modelling.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- The nonvesicular sterol transporter Aster-C plays a minor role in whole body cholesterol balance.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Article
- Scavenging of Cation Radicals of the Visual Cycle Retinoids by Lutein, Zeaxanthin, Taurine, and Melanin.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Article
- Bioavailability and provitamin A activity of neurosporaxanthin in mice.Communications biology · 2023Article
- Mechanism for the selective uptake of macular carotenoids mediated by the HDL cholesterol receptor SR-BI.Experimental eye research · 2023Article
- Terpenoid Transport in Plants: How Far from the Final Picture?Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Identifying the Transcriptional Drivers of Metastasis Embedded within Localized Melanoma.Cancer discovery · 2023Article
- Aster la vista: Unraveling the biochemical basis of carotenoid homeostasis in the human retina.BioEssays : news and reviews in molecular, cellular and developmental biology · 2022Article
- Modulation of Membrane Microviscosity by Protein-Mediated Carotenoid Delivery as Revealed by Time-Resolved Fluorescence Anisotropy.Membranes · 2022Article
- Is There an Optimal Combination of AREDS2 Antioxidants Zeaxanthin, Vitamin E and Vitamin C on Light-Induced Toxicity of Vitamin A Aldehyde to the Retina?Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Some mammalian tissues uniquely concentrate carotenoids, but the underlying biochemical mechanism for this accumulation has not been fully elucidated. For instance, the central retina of the primate eyes displays high levels of the carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin, whereas the pigments are largely absent in rodent retinas. We previously identified the scavenger receptor class B type 1 and the enzyme β-carotene-oxygenase-2 (BCO2) as key components that determine carotenoid concentration in tissues. We now provide evidence that Aster (GRAM-domain-containing) proteins, recently recognized for their role in nonvesicular cholesterol transport, engage in carotenoid metabolism. Our analyses revealed that the StART-like lipid binding domain of Aster proteins can accommodate the bulky pigments and bind them with high affinity. We further showed that carotenoids and cholesterol compete for the same binding site. We established a bacterial test system to demonstrate that the StART-like domains of mouse and human Aster proteins can extract carotenoids from biological membranes. Mice deficient for the carotenoid catabolizing enzyme BCO2 concentrated carotenoids in Aster-B protein-expressing tissues such as the adrenal glands. Remarkably, Aster-B was expressed in the human but not in the mouse retina. Within the retina, Aster-B and BCO2 showed opposite expression patterns in central versus peripheral parts. Together, our study unravels the biochemical basis for intracellular carotenoid transport and implicates Aster-B in the pathway for macula pigment concentration in the human retina.
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