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Age-associated changes in cardiac matrix and integrins.
M L Burgess1, J C McCrea, H L Hedrick
1Department of Health Sciences, Laboratory of Cardiovascular Biology, Boston University, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA. mburgess@bu.edu
Mechanisms of Ageing and Development
|September 15, 2001
Summary
Aging hearts show increased collagen and fibronectin in the cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM), alongside specific integrins. This suggests coordinated changes in ECM proteins regulate heart function during senescence.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Biology
- Aging Research
- Extracellular Matrix Biology
Background:
- Cardiac aging involves structural and functional changes in the extracellular matrix (ECM).
- ECM components like collagen and fibronectin impact myocardial stiffness and function as individuals age.
- Integrins mediate communication between ECM and cardiac cells, influencing heart function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between ECM structure and function in aging hearts.
- To quantify the protein content of key ECM proteins and integrins across different age groups in mice.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of cardiac tissue from young, middle-aged, and old Balb-c mice.
- Measurement of relative protein content of collagen, fibronectin, and specific integrins (alpha 1, alpha 5, beta 1) in left ventricular tissue.
Main Results:
- Old mice (20 months) exhibited increased biventricular cardiac hypertrophy.
- Left ventricles of old mice showed significantly greater collagen, fibronectin, alpha 1, and alpha 5 integrin protein content compared to younger groups.
- Beta 1 integrin protein content was lower in the ventricles of old mice.
Conclusions:
- Advancing age in mice is associated with increased cardiac collagen, fibronectin, alpha 1, and alpha 5 integrin levels.
- These findings suggest coordinated regulation of ECM proteins during cardiac aging.
- Differential integrin and ECM protein expression indicates regulatory signaling to cardiac fibroblasts involved in ECM maintenance.