Vinculin rejuvenates the heart
As the body ages, the shape of the cells changes, which contributes to many age-related changes. This is a particularly serious problem for the heart, since aging can disrupt the protein network inside muscle cells or cardiomyocytes, the reduction of which ensures blood circulation in the body.
In experiments on fruit flies of fruit flies, researchers at the University of California at San Diego, working under the guidance of Professor Adam Engler, demonstrated that high levels of the protein vinculin, which ensures a tight fit of cardiomyocytes to each other, have a positive effect on the health and life expectancy of insects.
Vinculin is part of the insertion discs that hold cardiomyocytes together. It also ensures the organized functioning of the contractile proteins of the heart. Aging is accompanied by a decrease in the production of vinculin by heart cells and, as its concentration decreases, myocardial contractions become disorganized and less effective.
Heart tissue of fruit flies with increased vinculin expression a week after reaching maturity. The contractile apparatus of the cell is colored red.
By crossing flies carrying certain genes, the authors obtained a line of insects whose cells had a genetic switch activating additional copies of the vinculin gene. To ensure selective protein synthesis in cardiomyocytes, they chose the activation mechanism used by the Tinman gene, necessary for the development of the cardiovascular system.
While normal fruit flies live for about 6 weeks, some of the individuals whose cardiomyocytes produce 50% more vinculin lived up to 9 weeks. In addition, the increased levels of vinculin made the insects more active and able to crawl along the vertical walls of their enclosure, which is an indicator of motor capabilities.
Also, the improvement of cardiac function contributed to the maintenance of a healthy metabolism of fruit flies. Individuals with elevated levels of vinculin could absorb more glucose molecules compared to flies of the control group. The authors concluded that high levels of this protein in the heart allowed other insect organs to receive more nutrients necessary for the glucose breakdown process.
They hope that the data obtained in the future will form the basis of pharmaceutical solutions that increase the expression of vinculin in the human myocardium.
Article by Ayla O. Sessions et al. Preserved cardiac function by vinculin enhances glucose oxidation and extends health- and life-span is published in the journal APL Bioengineering.
Evgenia Ryabtseva, portal "Eternal Youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of AIP Publishing: High Vinculin Levels Help Keep Aging Fruit Fly Hearts Young.