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The longevity gene mIndy (I’m Not Dead, Yet) affects blood pressure through sympathoadrenal mechanisms
Diana M. Willmes, … , Jens Jordan, Andreas L. Birkenfeld
Diana M. Willmes, … , Jens Jordan, Andreas L. Birkenfeld
Published January 25, 2021
Citation Information: JCI Insight. 2021;6(2):e136083. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.136083.
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Research Article Metabolism Vascular biology

The longevity gene mIndy (I’m Not Dead, Yet) affects blood pressure through sympathoadrenal mechanisms

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Abstract

Reduced expression of the plasma membrane citrate transporter INDY (acronym I’m Not Dead, Yet) extends life span in lower organisms. Deletion of the mammalian Indy (mIndy) gene in rodents improves metabolism via mechanisms akin to caloric restriction, known to lower blood pressure (BP) by sympathoadrenal inhibition. We hypothesized that mIndy deletion attenuates sympathoadrenal support of BP. Continuous arterial BP and heart rate (HR) were reduced in mINDY-KO mice. Concomitantly, urinary catecholamine content was lower, and the decreases in BP and HR by mIndy deletion were attenuated after autonomic ganglionic blockade. Catecholamine biosynthesis pathways were reduced in mINDY-KO adrenals using unbiased microarray analysis. Citrate, the main mINDY substrate, increased catecholamine content in pheochromocytoma cells, while pharmacological inhibition of citrate uptake blunted the effect. Our data suggest that deletion of mIndy reduces sympathoadrenal support of BP and HR by attenuating catecholamine biosynthesis. Deletion of mIndy recapitulates beneficial cardiovascular and metabolic responses to caloric restriction, making it an attractive therapeutic target.

Authors

Diana M. Willmes, Martin Daniels, Anica Kurzbach, Stefanie Lieske, Nicole Bechmann, Tina Schumann, Christine Henke, Nermeen N. El-Agroudy, Andrey C. Da Costa Goncalves, Mirko Peitzsch, Anja Hofmann, Waldemar Kanczkowski, Kristin Kräker, Dominik N. Müller, Henning Morawietz, Andreas Deussen, Michael Wagner, Ali El-Armouche, Stephen L. Helfand, Stephan R. Bornstein, Rafael de Cabo, Michel Bernier, Graeme Eisenhofer, Jens Tank, Jens Jordan, Andreas L. Birkenfeld

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Figure 4

Urinary catecholamines, metanephrines, and adrenal gland transcriptomics.

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Urinary catecholamines, metanephrines, and adrenal gland transcriptomics...
(A) Urinary secretion of NE and E in mINDY-KO (n = 9; NE, 0.12 ± 0.02, and E, 0.02 ± 0.003 nmol × kg/mmol × L Osmo) and WT littermate control mice (n = 9–11; NE, 0.31 ± 0.02, and E, 0.06 ± 0.006 nmol × kg/mmol × L Osmo). (B) Urinary secretion of NMN and MN in mINDY-KO (n = 9; NMN, 0.48 ± 0.05, and MN, 0.03 ± 0.004 nmol × kg/mmol × L Osmo) and WT littermate control mice (n = 11; NMN, 1.36 ± 0.05, and MN, 0.09 ± 0.014 nmol × kg/mmol × L Osmo). (C) Adrenal gland gene set enrichment analysis in mINDY-KO (n = 5) and littermate control mice (n = 6) fed a regular chow diet. (D) Relative gene expression of catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes and (E) enzymes involved in catecholamine degradation in adrenal glands of mINDY-KO (n = 12–13) and WT littermate controls (n = 15). Significance level was determined by a 2-tailed Student’s t test. Data represent the mean ± SEM (*P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001).

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