A study conducted by the team of Fabiola Terzi has just been published in EMBO Molecular Medicine :
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34725920/)
Kidneys develop lesions with age, and in particular glomerulosclerosis. The molecular mechanisms involved in the deterioration process are still unclear. By combining experimental models of aging, transgenic mice and molecular studies, the Terzi’s team has uncovered an unexpected role for glomerular endothelial cells during aging. In particular, they elucidated a detrimental cross-talk between senescent endothelial cells and podocytes, through PAI-1. More importantly, they identified PAI-1 as a promising biomarker of kidney dysfunction in allografts from elderly donors. Therefore, PAI-1 appears as a prognostic marker as well as a therapeutic target to prolong renal survival during aging.