Promoting Angiogenesis and Neurogenesis in a Vascular Dementia Model via HIF-1 Transcriptional Repressor PRMT1

Abstract

Vascular Dementia is a complex condition often co-diagnosed with other neurodegenerative disorders. Its pathophysiology is driven by multiple factors including hypoxia which facilitates tissue death. Vascular stresses including ischemic brain lesions thereby accompany this harmful subset of dementia. PRMT1 is an arginine methyltransferase responsible for the repression of Hif-1, a hypoxia-induced cellular factor. HIF-1 in turn regulates VEGF expression, an angiogenic factor that assists with the restoration of blood vessels. Hence, targeting brain endothelial cell PRMT1 may represent a means to induce angiogenesis and downstream neurogenesis in damaged brain tissues thereby alleviating cognitive declines associated with tissue death. The in vitro and in vivo studies highlighted here present an opportunity to study a novel function of PRMT1 in Vascular Dementia.