Reduction of Double-Strand DNA Break Repair Exacerbates Vascular Aging | Aging-US

Posted by

Aging (Aging-US)

Aging-US published this trending research paper on October 2, 2023, in Volume 15, Issue 19, entitled, “Reduction of double-strand DNA break repair exacerbates vascular aging" by researchers from the Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT; Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL; Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center-Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City, UT; Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. DOI - https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.205066 Corresponding author - Anthony J. Donato - tony.donato@utah.edu Abstract Advanced age is the greatest risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death. Arterial function is impaired in advanced age which contributes to the development of CVD. One underexplored hypothesis is that DNA damage within arteries leads to this dysfunction, yet evidence demonstrating the incidence and physiological consequences of DNA damage in arteries, and in particular, in the microvasculature, in advanced age is limited. In the present study, we began by assessing the abundance of DNA damage in human and mouse lung microvascular endothelial cells and found that aging increases the percentage of cells with DNA damage. To explore the physiological consequences of increases in arterial DNA damage, we evaluated measures of endothelial function, microvascular and glycocalyx properties, and arterial stiffness in mice that were lacking or heterozygous for the double-strand DNA break repair protein ATM kinase. Surprisingly, in young mice, vascular function remained unchanged which led us to rationalize that perhaps aging is required to accumulate DNA damage. Indeed, in comparison to wild type littermate controls, mice heterozygous for ATM that were aged to ~18 mo (Old ATM +/−) displayed an accelerated vascular aging phenotype characterized by increases in arterial DNA damage, senescence signaling, and impairments in endothelium-dependent dilation due to elevated oxidative stress. Furthermore, old ATM +/− mice had reduced microvascular density and glycocalyx thickness as well as increased arterial stiffness. Collectively, these data demonstrate that DNA damage that accumulates in arteries in advanced age contributes to arterial dysfunction that is known to drive CVD. Sign up for free Altmetric alerts about this article - https://aging.altmetric.com/details/email_updates?id=10.18632%2Faging.20506 Subscribe for free publication alerts from Aging - https://www.aging-us.com/subscribe-to-toc-alerts Keywords - aging, DNA damage, vascular function, endothelial cell, senescence, oxidative stress, arterial stiffness About Aging-US Launched in 2009, Aging-US publishes papers of general interest and biological significance in all fields of aging research and age-related diseases, including cancer—and now, with a special focus on COVID-19 vulnerability as an age-dependent syndrome. Topics in Aging-US go beyond traditional gerontology, including, but not limited to, cellular and molecular biology, human age-related diseases, pathology in model organisms, signal transduction pathways (e.g., p53, sirtuins, and PI-3K/AKT/mTOR, among others), and approaches to modulating these signaling pathways. Please visit our website at https://www.Aging-US.com​​ and connect with us: SoundCloud - https://soundcloud.com/Aging-Us Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AgingUS/ X - https://twitter.com/AgingJrnl Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/agingjrnl/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@AgingJournal LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/aging/ Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/AgingUS/ Media Contact 18009220957 MEDIA@IMPACTJOURNALS.COM