Degradation of tropoelastin and skin elastin by neprilysin.

Neprilysin is also known as skin fibroblast-derived elastase, and its up-regulation during aging is associated with impairments of the elastic fiber network, loss of skin elasticity and wrinkle formation. However, information on its elastase activity is still limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the degradation of fibrillar skin elastin by neprilysin and the influence of the donor's age on the degradation process using mass spectrometry and bioinformatics approaches.

Molecular-level insights into aging processes of skin elastin.

Skin aging is characterized by different features including wrinkling, atrophy of the dermis and loss of elasticity associated with damage to the extracellular matrix protein elastin. The aim of this study was to investigate the aging process of skin elastin at the molecular level by evaluating the influence of intrinsic (chronological aging) and extrinsic factors (sun exposure) on the morphology and susceptibility of elastin towards enzymatic degradation. Elastin was isolated from biopsies derived from sun-protected or sun-exposed skin of differently aged individuals.

Elastins from patients with Williams-Beuren syndrome and healthy individuals differ on the molecular level.

Williams-Beuren syndrome (WBS) is a congenital disorder, which involves the heterozygous deletion of the elastin gene and other genes on chromosome 7. Clinical symptoms that are associated with hemizygosity of the essential extracellular matrix protein elastin include premature aging of the skin and supravalvular aortic stenosis. However, only little is known about the molecular basis of structural abnormalities in the connective tissue of WBS patients.