Age-related death-survival balance in myocardium: an immunohistochemical and biochemical study.
During ageing, the occurrence of apoptosis is due to a progressive impairment of normal functions, leading to eliminate redundant, damaged or infected cells. Here we report that also in myocardial tissue, ageing, besides reduction of the number of myocytes and of specialized conduction tissue cells, reduction in Ca(++) transport across the membrane, includes the establishment of apoptosis. In particular, the occurrence of this process, which is less represented than we would have expected, is mediated by the balance between the well known Bcl-2 protein family members, Bad, Bax and Bcl-2, related to the pathway PI-3-kinase/AKT-1, which is known to deliver a survival signal. In fact, aged myocardial cells disclose a suboptimal response, which underlines the possibility that they can become more sensitive to damaging factors or diseases, more frequently occurring during ageing, probably due to an exploited molecular control of apoptosis.
Centurione
Lucia
L
Dipartimento di Biomorfologia, Università G.D'Annunzio, 66100, Chieti, Italy.
Antonucci
Adriano
A
Miscia
Sebastiano
S
Grilli
Alfredo
A
Rapino
Monica
M
Grifone
Giovanna
G
Di Giacomo
Viviana
V
Di Giulio
Camillo
C
Falconi
Mirella
M
Cataldi
Amelia
A
D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002470:Cell Survival; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D008297:Male; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D050721:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-cbl; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein
C494821:Bad protein, rat; C494828:Bax protein, rat; D002352:Carrier Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; D051025:bcl-Associated Death Protein; D050721:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-cbl; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases