LA VARIANTE ASSOCIATA ALLA LONGEVITA' (LAV) DEL GENE BPIFB4 MODULA eNOS E LA FUNZIONALITA' VASCOLARE

The delay in aging observed in long-lived individuals (LLIs) runs in families and has become the object of intense investigation. LLIs are thought to be enriched/depleted in single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that influence aging, a phenomenon associated with progressive decline in nitric oxide (NO) production and impairment of endothelial function. Preliminary data have shown that a variation of the bactericidal/permeability-increasing fold-containing family B member 4 (BPIFB4) is highly enriched in three independent LLIs populations. It was part of a four-SNPs haplotype that codified for a wild type-WT, a Longevity Associated Variant-LAV and a Rare Variant-RV. We have demonstrated the ability of the Longevity Associated Variant of BPIFB4, LAV-BPIFB4, to induce an improvement in vascular reactivity in opposition to changes in age. Thus, LAV-BPIFB4 may provide a potential tool for innovative therapeutic strategies aimed at fighting age-related dysfunction.