What is it about?
Aging leads to degenerative events in the heart that can culminate in a pathological impairment, or even cardiovascular death. PGC-1alpha (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1alpha) is a central regulator of energy homeostasis and metabolism in several organs, including the heart. PGC-1alpha levels are reduced in cardiac pathologies, while exercise can boost the amount of this protein in the heart. We have studied how the protein PGC-1alpha affects the heart in old mice. We found that a modest elevation of PGC-1alpha, e.g. as seen in the trained heart, mitigates many of the pathological consequences of aging in this tissue.
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Why is it important?
Cardiovascular impairment is one of the most important contributors to morbidity and mortality world-wide. The rise in the proportion of elderly individuals due to the increase in life expectancy concomitantly occurs with an increase in cardiovascular events. Thus, insights into the aging process of the heart, and potential modulators of the pathological consequences are desperately needed not only to improve the health of individuals, but also mitigate the rapidly increasing burden on health care systems.
Perspectives
Our findings of beneficial effects of PGC-1alpha on pathological events in the heart in aging indicate that modulation of the pathways centered on PGC-1alpha might be of potential therapeutic importance. Exercise remains a robust and safe intervention to boost PGC-1alpha levels in cardiac and skeletal muscle, and at least in part thereby improving health. However, many patients, for example elderly individuals, are unable to embark on an efficient exercise-based program. Therefore, other means to modulate PGC-1alpha in these tissues, e.g. using pharmacological agents, would meet an unmet clinical demand.
Professor Christoph Handschin
University of Basel
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Moderate Modulation of Cardiac PGC-1α Expression Partially Affects Age-Associated Transcriptional Remodeling of the Heart, Frontiers in Physiology, March 2018, Frontiers,
DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00242.
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