Abstract
The expression of fibronectin increases during aging. This is observed in human skin and lung fibroblasts and umbilical vein endothelial cells aged in culture. The enhanced expression in elderly persons is also suggested in experiments using skin fibroblasts and aortic endothelial cells isolated from donors of various ages. Thus, the increased expression of fibronectin during in vivo and in vitro aging is common in various types of cell and can be a useful marker of aging. To elucidate the mechanism of enhancement, we explored binding activities of nuclear proteins to the fibronectin promoter region. We could not find any drastic changes in binding activity during aging, but found increased binding activities in several regions of the promoter. These changes may cause enhanced expression in senescent cells.
