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Effects of Hypoxia on Gene Expression in the Elderly
Author(s) -
Toby Inimary,
Burian Dennis,
McNeely Eileen
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.25.1_supplement.861.1
Subject(s) - hypoxia (environmental) , microarray , microarray analysis techniques , medicine , hypobaric chamber , effects of high altitude on humans , gene , gene expression , oxygen tension , bioinformatics , pathology , immunology , oxygen , biology , genetics , chemistry , anatomy , organic chemistry
Many patients with underlying pulmonary disease travel each year by air. These patients may be at higher risk for developing complications due to decreased oxygen tension within their lungs, or hypoxia. At high altitudes, the lower air pressure makes it more difficult for oxygen to enter our vascular systems. In addition, aviators who fly above 12,500 feet in an unpressurized aircraft without supplemental oxygen may be susceptible to the effects of hypoxia. It is unclear what determines an individual's response and subsequent compensation to hypoxia. We enrolled a total of 62 elderly subjects aged 50–80 from three health categories: 23 healthy, 18 cardiac‐compromised, and 21 smokers. Subjects participated in a simulated flight within a hypobaric chamber under both control and exposure conditions at an altitude of 7,000 ft. We utilized microarray analysis and quantitative PCR (qPCR) to access gene expression of the subjects in response to altitude exposure. Using microarray analysis, we discovered ~155 genes involved in the physiological response to altitude exposure. The main biological functions involved were cell‐to‐cell signaling, hematological system function, and tissue development. Of the 155 genes, we utilized qPCR to measure the levels of expression for the top 35 genes. We found that hypoxia led to alterations in gene expression of important factors in the pulmonary vasculature. Our data suggests that several biomarkers exist that might be predictive of an individual's response to hypoxia. This work was supported by the Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Aviation Safety