PPARGC1A and age-related macular degeneration: Further, Zhang and colleagues have demonstrated that a high-fat diet in peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) +/- mice (which express lower levels of PGC-1α) causes the development of RPE and retinal morphological changes akin to an AMD-like phenotype, representing potentially microbiota-independent effects, although the latter study did not test the influence of the microbiota [45].