Understanding how aging affects blood pressure through oxidative stress

Reactive oxygen species are the metabolic by-products that accumulate in cells throughout life and cause age-related pathologies. To develop drugs targeting these pathological changes, it is essential to study the effect of oxidative stress at the molecular level. This research will focus on a key regulator of blood pressure – cGMP-dependent protein kinase 1 α (PKGIα) to determine how oxidation changes the structure and function of PKGIα. Under oxidative stress, PKGIα is continuously active, leading to hypotension and, ultimately, the degradation of vascular walls. This project will investigate the molecular mechanism behind PKGIα damaging behaviour under aging-induced oxidative stress.