Targeting Endothelial KDM5A to Attenuate Aging and Ameliorate Age-Associated Metabolic Abnormalities

Abstract

Vascular aging accelerates the gradual deterioration of systemic organ function, yet its key driving factors are still largely unexplored. Here, it is demonstrated that lysine-specific demethylase 5A (KDM5A) decreases and histone H3 lysine 4 (H3K4me3) increases in vascular endothelial cells (VECs) isolated from ageing mice and VEC senescence models. KDM5A deficiency exacerbated endothelial cell aging in vitro. Endothelial-specific KDM5A-deficient mice exhibit shortened lifespan and multiple senescent phenotypes, including fat accumulation, reduced thermogenic capacity, skeletal kyphosis, and age-related liver lesions, while maintaining VECs-specific KDM5A levels attenuates these adverse metabolic abnormalities and prolongs lifespan. Mechanistically, endothelial KDM5A deficiency aggravates aging-associated fatty acid (FA) metabolism disorders by enhancing H3K4me3 enrichment at the promoter region of FA-binding protein 4 (FABP4), which leads to active FABP4 transcription. Together, the study reveals the regulatory mechanisms of KDM5A in age-dependent metabolic disorders and identifies KDM5A/FABP4 axis as a potential therapeutic target for vascular aging and related organ dysfunction.

Keywords: FABP4; KDM5A; aging; metabolic abnormalities; vascular endothelial cells.