[Epigenetic aspects of peptidergic regulation of vascular endothelial cell proliferation during aging].
Khavinson. V Kh VKh; Tarnovskaia. S I SI; Lin'kova. N S NS; Guton. E O EO; Elashkina. E V EV
Key Findings
- Vesugen and D‑7 increase Ki‑67 protein levels in vascular endothelial cells from both young and old animals.
- Molecular docking shows the peptides bind to the core promoter region of the MKI67 gene, potentially enhancing its transcription.
- The epigenetic interaction may underlie the previously observed vasoprotective effects of vesugen in older individuals.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, the study suggests vesugen could help maintain blood‑vessel cell turnover via gene‑level effects, but there are no human dosage or safety data yet. Until clinical trials confirm these findings, the peptide remains a speculative supplement rather than a proven protocol for longevity or vascular health.
Summary
Researchers found that the short peptide vesugen (and a similar peptide D-7) can boost the activity of a protein called Ki‑67, which helps blood‑vessel cells keep dividing as we age. In lab tests, the peptides attached to a specific DNA region that controls the Ki‑67 gene, suggesting they may turn the gene on more strongly. This could explain why older people who take vesugen sometimes see better blood‑vessel health, but the work was done only in cell cultures and computer models.
Abstract
Short peptides vesugen and D-7 have stimulated proliferation-associated protein Ki-67 decreased during aging in tissue-specific cell cultures received from young and old animals and in dissociated vascular endothelial cell cultures. Peptides vesugen and D-7 have interacted with promoter region of MKI67 gene coding protein Ki-67 that was obtained using methods of molecular docking. Both peptides have contacted with core promoter 5'-agcctcaaccatcaggaaaacaagagt-3' located in MKI67 gene from -14 to +12 base pairs relative to the transcriptional initiation site through sequence CATC(ENSG00000148773). Thus, vasoprotective effect of peptide vesugen revealed previously in elder people could be realized through epigenetic regulation of Ki-67 gene expression.
Study Information
pubmed
2014