Toward a rational therapeutic for elastin related disease: Key considerations for elastin based regenerative medicine strategies

Abstract

Elastin is a connective tissue protein, produced from the ELN gene, that provides elasticity and recoil to tissues that stretch, such as the large arteries of the body, lung parenchyma, skin, ligaments and elastic cartilages. It is produced as a soluble monomer, tropoelastin, that when cross-linked in the extracellular space generates a polymer that is extraordinarily stable, with a predicted half-life of >70 years. Although data suggest ongoing elastin transcription, it is rare to see new elastin deposited outside of its tight developmental window. Consequently, elastin-related disease comes about primarily in one of three scenarios: (1) inadequate elastin deposition, (2) production of poor-quality elastic fibers, or (3) increased destruction of previously deposited elastin. By understanding the pathways controlling elastin production and maintenance, we can design new therapeutics to thwart those abnormal processes. In this review, we will summarize the diseases arising from genetic and environmental alteration of elastin (Williams syndrome, supravalvar aortic stenosis, autosomal dominant cutis laxa, and ELN-related vascular and connective tissue dysfunction) and then describe the mechanisms controlling elastin production and maintenance that might be manipulated to generate novel therapeutics aimed at these conditions. We will end by summarizing existing therapeutic strategies targeting these disease mechanisms before outlining future approaches that may better solve the challenges associated with elastin based regenerative medicine.