An Age-Related Increase in CD47 Expression Impairs Vascular Function

Researchers here provide evidence to indicate that increased expression of CD47 in aged blood vessels impairs a range of functions, from maintenance of these tissues to the generation of new blood vessels. The latter point is interesting given that capillary networks become less dense with age. This is thought to impair blood flow to tissues and thus contribute to age-related loss of function. The animal evidence here suggests that inhibition of CD47 may be a viable strategy to reduce the impact of aging on the vasculature, and thus also many of the consequences of vascular aging throughout the body. The aged population is currently at its highest level in human history and is expected to increase further in the coming years. In humans, aging is accompanied by impaired angiogenesis, diminished blood flow, and altered metabolism, among others. A cellular mechanism that impinges upon these manifestations of aging can be a suitable target for therapeutic intervention. Here we identify cell surface receptor CD47 as a novel age-sensitive driver of vascular and metabolic dysfunction. With the natural aging process, CD47 and its ligand thrombospondin-1 were increased, concurrent with a reduction of self-renewal transcription factors OCT4, SOX2, KLF4, and cMYC in arteries from aged wild-type mice and older human subjects compared to younger controls. These perturbations were prevented in arteries from aged CD47 knockout mice. Arterial endothelial cells isolated from a...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs