The cover shows a pseudocoloured SEM of a freeze-fractured retina. The rod-like outer parts (blue) are rod photoreceptors and contain the protein rhodopsin (visual purple) that aids vision in dim light. The inner parts (orange) lead to the photoreceptor nuclei (purple, top). Between the nuclei are the cytoplasmic processes of the Müller glia, which play a key role in maintaining normal function of the entire retina. In this issue of Diabetologia (54:690–698), Curtis et al. show that chemical adducts known as advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and advanced lipoxidation end-products (ALEs) form in the diabetic retina. In particular, AGEs and ALEs form preferentially in the Müller glia, where they are associated with a range of pathophysiological responses that contribute to diabetic retinopathy.
Cover credit: STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
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