Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39753135›Full record

ArticleStem cell reports2025

Non-canonical roles of CFH in retinal pigment epithelial cells revealed by dysfunctional rare CFH variants.

Sofie C A ten Brink, Louet Koolen, Caroline C W Klaver, Remko A Bakker, Anneke I den Hollander, Seba Almedawar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Stem cell reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–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

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Review
  3. Review
  4. Article
  5. Complement C3 Activation in the Human Retinal Pigment Epithelium.Investigative ophthalmology & visual science · 2025
    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

6 authors.

Sofie C A ten BrinkDepartment of Ophthalmology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Louet KoolenDepartment of Ophthalmology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Caroline C W KlaverDepartment of Ophthalmology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Ophthalmology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
Remko A BakkerDepartment of Cardio Metabolic Diseases Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach, Germany.
Anneke I den HollanderDepartment of Ophthalmology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
Seba AlmedawarDepartment of Cardio Metabolic Diseases Research, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG, Biberach, Germany. Electronic address: seba.almedawar@boehringer-ingelheim.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Complement factor H (CFH) common genetic variants have been associated with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). While most previous in vitro RPE studies focused on the common p.His402Tyr CFH variant, we characterized rare CFH variants that are highly penetrant for AMD using induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium (iPSC-RPE). Our results show that lower factor H (FH) levels are detected in AMD RPE, which potentially disrupt canonical and non-canonical roles of FH. Specifically, AMD RPE displays higher inflammation rate and a reduced set of differentially expressed genes compared to control RPE upon N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine (A2E) and blue light challenge. Additionally, cholesterol efflux and photoreceptor outer segment (POS) phagocytosis defects, dysregulated complement levels, larger sub-RPE deposits, and increased mitochondrial stress were observed in AMD RPE. Thus, our study reveals new non-canonical roles for FH in regulating important RPE functions.

Indexed as

Complement Factor HMacular DegenerationRetinal Pigment EpitheliumCholesterolEpithelial CellsHumansInduced Pluripotent Stem CellsMitochondriaPhagocytosisRetinal Photoreceptor Cell Outer SegmentRetinoidsA2-E (N-retinylidene-N-retinylethanolamine)CFH protein, humanCholesterolComplement Factor HRetinoidsAMDCFHhiPSCin vitro disease modelingRPE

Identifiers

PMID39753135
PMCPMC11784488

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Registered trials

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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 OpenQuestion graph.