title: HIF1α in aortic aneurysms and beyond.
abstract: Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a permanent expansion of the vessel wall with a high prevalence in those 65 years of age and older. Aneurysms are prone to dissection and rupture that carry a mortality rate of over 85%. Currently, surgical repair is the only option to treat this disease. The need to intervene prior to these events has set off a flurry of basic studies in an effort to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern AAA formation, progression and rupture. In the present study, the role of myeloid cells in contributing to AAA development has been confirmed. More specifically, the transcription factor, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α), was demonstrated to be a necessary component for regulating the expression of extracellular matrix modifying enzymes and their endogenous inhibitors in these cells. This new discovery may lead to therapeutic targets to prohibit the degradation and weakening of the vessel wall with the hope of limiting AAA formation and/or growth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Tomoki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Research Center, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, U.S.A. rizzov@temple.edu.
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Rizzo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal; D001019:Aortic Rupture; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; D015995:Prevalence; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D051795:Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit
keywords: aneurysm; hypoxia-inducible factors; translational science