Comparative study of some skin and lung fibroblast genes expression of rats of different age

Abstract

Comparative study of the expression of three different groups of genes and their protein products amount in the culture of skin fibroblasts from Wistar rats of different ages (2 weeks, 1, 12 and 24 months) was carried out. The traits of similarities and differences in age dynamics for vimentin, vinculin, decorin have been found. These three genes, the products of which participate in intracellular interactions (vimentin) and interactions of cytoskeleton proteins with components of the extracellular matrix, are characterized by an increase in the expression with age both in the skin and in the lungs. They are expressed much stronger in the skin than in the lungs. The amount of their products fluctuates without any single direction. The most active is the expression of vinculin, both in the skin and in the lungs; the amount of the product is also the maximal for it. The least effective is the expression of the vimentin gene in the lungs of two-week-old rats. For the gene expression of fibroblast growth factors 1, 2 and 8, significant differences have been found in their changes in ontogenesis. The first two of them, whose products stimulate the synthesis of one of the most common and important forms of collagen 1, are minimally expressed in old animals, both in the skin and in the lungs. The gene of fibroblast growth factor 8 is expressed in both tissues significantly weaker than the genes of factors 1 and 2. The direction of age-related expression of factor 8 is opposite to that which is inherent for the expression of genes 1 and 2. As for the protein product, its amount is maximal in 1 month, and in the skin significantly increased in the second half of ontogenesis. Some homeobox genes, the HOX genes (2, 4, 5, 6, 7), have been studied. They are most important for the early stages of ontogenesis due to their influence on organogenesis, especially in the embryonic period. In general, both their expression and the product amount decrease, especially in old animals. HOX 5 is most expressed among these genes in the lungs and in the skin. The results obtained are discussed in connection with the functional and tissue characteristics of the studied genes and their products.