scholarly journals Different arrhythmia-associated calmodulin mutations have distinct effects on cardiac SK channel regulation

2020 ◽  
Vol 152 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah A. Ledford ◽  
Seojin Park ◽  
Duncan Muir ◽  
Ryan L. Woltz ◽  
Lu Ren ◽  
...  

Calmodulin (CaM) plays a critical role in intracellular signaling and regulation of Ca2+-dependent proteins and ion channels. Mutations in CaM cause life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. Among the known CaM targets, small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) channels are unique, since they are gated solely by beat-to-beat changes in intracellular Ca2+. However, the molecular mechanisms of how CaM mutations may affect the function of SK channels remain incompletely understood. To address the structural and functional effects of these mutations, we introduced prototypical human CaM mutations in human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocyte-like cells (hiPSC-CMs). Using structural modeling and molecular dynamics simulation, we demonstrate that human calmodulinopathy-associated CaM mutations disrupt cardiac SK channel function via distinct mechanisms. CaMD96V and CaMD130G mutants reduce SK currents through a dominant-negative fashion. By contrast, specific mutations replacing phenylalanine with leucine result in conformational changes that affect helix packing in the C-lobe, which disengage the interactions between apo-CaM and the CaM-binding domain of SK channels. Distinct mutant CaMs may result in a significant reduction in the activation of the SK channels, leading to a decrease in the key Ca2+-dependent repolarization currents these channels mediate. The findings in this study may be generalizable to other interactions of mutant CaMs with Ca2+-dependent proteins within cardiac myocytes.

Circulation ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 138 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah A Ledford ◽  
Seojin Park ◽  
Duncan Muir ◽  
Wen Smith ◽  
Ryan L Woltz ◽  
...  

Background: Calmodulin (CaM) plays a critical role in intracellular signaling and regulation of Ca 2+ -dependent ion channels. Mutations in CALM1, CALM2, and CALM3 have recently been linked to cardiac arrhythmias, such as Long QT Syndrome (LQTS), catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), and familial idiopathic ventricular fibrillation (IVF). Small-conductance Ca 2+ - activated K + channels (SK) are voltage-independent channels that are regulated solely from beat-to-beat changes in intracellular calcium. CaM regulates the function of multiple ion channels, including SK channels, although the effect of CaM mutations on these channels is not yet understood. We hypothesize that human CaM mutations linked to sudden cardiac death disrupt SK channel function by distinct mechanisms. Methods and Results: We tested the effects of LQTS (CaM D96V , CaM D130G ), CPVT (CaM N54I , CaM N98S ), and IVF (CaM F90L ) CaM mutants compared to CaM WT on SK channel function. Using whole-cell voltage-clamp recordings, we found that CaM D96V and CaM D130G mutants significantly inhibited apamin-sensitive currents. Similarly, action potential studies in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) also revealed significant knockdown of apamin-sensitive currents. Immunofluorescent confocal microscopy confirmed that this effect was not due to changes in SK channel trafficking. Rather, co-immunoprecipitation studies showed a significant decrease in the association of these CaM mutants with the SK channel. Rosetta molecular modeling was used to identify a conformational change in CaM F90L structure compared to that of CaM WT . Conclusions: We found that CaM D96V and CaM D130G mutants significantly reduced apamin-sensitive currents, through a dominant negative effect on SK channel function. Consistent with our hypothesis, CaM F90L resulted in the least inhibitory effects. The data suggests that specific mutations with phenylalanine to leucine (CaM F90L ) may disrupt the interaction between apo-CaM with CaMBD on the SK2 channel.


2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (5) ◽  
pp. 1183-1188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seong Su Kang ◽  
Zhentao Zhang ◽  
Xia Liu ◽  
Fredric P. Manfredsson ◽  
Li He ◽  
...  

The abnormal aggregation of fibrillar α-synuclein in Lewy bodies plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating α-synuclein pathological effects are incompletely understood. Here we show that α-synuclein binds phosphoinositide-3 kinase enhancer L (PIKE-L) in a phosphorylation-dependent manner and sequesters it in Lewy bodies, leading to dopaminergic cell death via AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) hyperactivation. α-Synuclein interacts with PIKE-L, an AMPK inhibitory binding partner, and this action is increased by S129 phosphorylation through AMPK and is decreased by Y125 phosphorylation via Src family kinase Fyn. A pleckstrin homology (PH) domain in PIKE-L directly binds α-synuclein and antagonizes its aggregation. Accordingly, PIKE-L overexpression decreases dopaminergic cell death elicited by 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), whereas PIKE-L knockdown elevates α-synuclein oligomerization and cell death. The overexpression of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) or α-synuclein induces greater dopaminergic cell loss and more severe motor defects in PIKE-KO and Fyn-KO mice than in wild-type mice, and these effects are attenuated by the expression of dominant-negative AMPK. Hence, our findings demonstrate that α-synuclein neutralizes PIKE-L’s neuroprotective actions in synucleinopathies, triggering dopaminergic neuronal death by hyperactivating AMPK.


2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (255) ◽  
pp. 255ra130-255ra130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antje D. Ebert ◽  
Kazuki Kodo ◽  
Ping Liang ◽  
Haodi Wu ◽  
Bruno C. Huber ◽  
...  

Nearly 8% of the human population carries an inactivating point mutation in the gene that encodes the cardioprotective enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2). This genetic polymorphism (ALDH2*2) is linked to more severe outcomes from ischemic heart damage and an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), but the underlying molecular bases are unknown. We investigated the ALDH2*2 mechanisms in a human model system of induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) generated from individuals carrying the most common heterozygous form of the ALDH2*2 genotype. We showed that the ALDH2*2 mutation gave rise to elevated amounts of reactive oxygen species and toxic aldehydes, thereby inducing cell cycle arrest and activation of apoptotic signaling pathways, especially during ischemic injury. We established that ALDH2 controls cell survival decisions by modulating oxidative stress levels and that this regulatory circuitry was dysfunctional in the loss-of-function ALDH2*2 genotype, causing up-regulation of apoptosis in cardiomyocytes after ischemic insult. These results reveal a new function for the metabolic enzyme ALDH2 in modulation of cell survival decisions. Insight into the molecular mechanisms that mediate ALDH2*2-related increased ischemic damage is important for the development of specific diagnostic methods and improved risk management of CAD and may lead to patient-specific cardiac therapies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Minjin Jeong ◽  
Karen E. Ocwieja ◽  
Dongjun Han ◽  
P. Ashley Wackym ◽  
Yichen Zhang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background COVID-19 is a pandemic respiratory and vascular disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus. There is a growing number of sensory deficits associated with COVID-19 and molecular mechanisms underlying these deficits are incompletely understood. Methods We report a series of ten COVID-19 patients with audiovestibular symptoms such as hearing loss, vestibular dysfunction and tinnitus. To investigate the causal relationship between SARS-CoV-2 and audiovestibular dysfunction, we examine human inner ear tissue, human inner ear in vitro cellular models, and mouse inner ear tissue. Results We demonstrate that adult human inner ear tissue co-expresses the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor for SARS-CoV-2 virus, and the transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) and FURIN cofactors required for virus entry. Furthermore, hair cells and Schwann cells in explanted human vestibular tissue can be infected by SARS-CoV-2, as demonstrated by confocal microscopy. We establish three human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived in vitro models of the inner ear for infection: two-dimensional otic prosensory cells (OPCs) and Schwann cell precursors (SCPs), and three-dimensional inner ear organoids. Both OPCs and SCPs express ACE2, TMPRSS2, and FURIN, with lower ACE2 and FURIN expression in SCPs. OPCs are permissive to SARS-CoV-2 infection; lower infection rates exist in isogenic SCPs. The inner ear organoids show that hair cells express ACE2 and are targets for SARS-CoV-2. Conclusions Our results provide mechanistic explanations of audiovestibular dysfunction in COVID-19 patients and introduce hiPSC-derived systems for studying infectious human otologic disease.


Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 981
Author(s):  
Takeshi Tokuyama ◽  
Razan Elfadil Ahmed ◽  
Nawin Chanthra ◽  
Tatsuya Anzai ◽  
Hideki Uosaki

Mitochondrial cardiomyopathy (MCM) is characterized as an oxidative phosphorylation disorder of the heart. More than 100 genetic variants in nuclear or mitochondrial DNA have been associated with MCM. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms linking genetic variants to MCM are not fully understood due to the lack of appropriate cellular and animal models. Patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) provide an attractive experimental platform for modeling cardiovascular diseases and predicting drug efficacy to such diseases. Here we introduce the pathological and therapeutic studies of MCM using iPSC-CMs and discuss the questions and latest strategies for research using iPSC-CMs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalia Moore ◽  
Brittney M. Meays ◽  
Lepakshe S. V. Madduri ◽  
Farah Shahjin ◽  
Subhash Chand ◽  
...  

The identification of several evolutionary young miRNAs, which arose in primates, raised several possibilities for the role of such miRNAs in human-specific disease processes. We previously have identified an evolutionary young miRNA, miR-1290, to be essential in neural stem cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation. Here, we show that miR-1290 is significantly downregulated during neuronal differentiation in reprogrammed induced pluripotent stem cell- (iPSC-) derived neurons obtained from idiopathic autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. Further, we identified that miR-1290 is actively released into extracellular vesicles. Supplementing ASD patient-derived neural stem cells (NSCs) with conditioned media from differentiated control-NSCs spiked with “artificial EVs” containing synthetic miR-1290 oligonucleotides significantly rescued differentiation deficits in ASD cell lines. Based on our earlier published study and the observations from the data presented here, we conclude that miR-1290 regulation could play a critical role during neuronal differentiation in early brain development.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 657 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Pourrier ◽  
David Fedida

There is a need for improved in vitro models of inherited cardiac diseases to better understand basic cellular and molecular mechanisms and advance drug development. Most of these diseases are associated with arrhythmias, as a result of mutations in ion channel or ion channel-modulatory proteins. Thus far, the electrophysiological phenotype of these mutations has been typically studied using transgenic animal models and heterologous expression systems. Although they have played a major role in advancing the understanding of the pathophysiology of arrhythmogenesis, more physiological and predictive preclinical models are necessary to optimize the treatment strategy for individual patients. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) have generated much interest as an alternative tool to model arrhythmogenic diseases. They provide a unique opportunity to recapitulate the native-like environment required for mutated proteins to reproduce the human cellular disease phenotype. However, it is also important to recognize the limitations of this technology, specifically their fetal electrophysiological phenotype, which differentiates them from adult human myocytes. In this review, we provide an overview of the major inherited arrhythmogenic cardiac diseases modeled using hiPSC-CMs and for which the cellular disease phenotype has been somewhat characterized.


2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (10) ◽  
pp. 1108-1116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrien Moreau ◽  
Mohamed Boutjdir ◽  
Mohamed Chahine

Chronic diseases are the primary cause of mortality worldwide, accounting for 67% of deaths. One of the major challenges in developing new treatments is the lack of understanding of the exact underlying biological and molecular mechanisms. Chronic cardiovascular diseases are the single most common cause of death worldwide, and sudden deaths due to cardiac arrhythmias account for approximately 50% of all such cases. Traditional genetic screening for genes involved in cardiac disorders is labourious and frequently fails to detect the mutation that explains or causes the disorder. However, when mutations are identified, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) derived from affected patients make it possible to address fundamental research questions directly relevant to human health. As such, hiPSC technology has recently been used to model human diseases and patient-specific hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) thus offer a unique opportunity to investigate potential disease-causing genetic variants in their natural environment. The purpose of this review is to present the current state of knowledge regarding hiPSC-CMs, including their potential, limitations, and challenges and to discuss future prospects.


2017 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. E180-E189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Potting ◽  
Christophe Crochemore ◽  
Francesca Moretti ◽  
Florian Nigsch ◽  
Isabel Schmidt ◽  
...  

PARKIN, an E3 ligase mutated in familial Parkinson’s disease, promotes mitophagy by ubiquitinating mitochondrial proteins for efficient engagement of the autophagy machinery. Specifically, PARKIN-synthesized ubiquitin chains represent targets for the PINK1 kinase generating phosphoS65-ubiquitin (pUb), which constitutes the mitophagy signal. Physiological regulation of PARKIN abundance, however, and the impact on pUb accumulation are poorly understood. Using cells designed to discover physiological regulators of PARKIN abundance, we performed a pooled genome-wide CRISPR/Cas9 knockout screen. Testing identified genes individually resulted in a list of 53 positive and negative regulators. A transcriptional repressor network including THAP11 was identified and negatively regulates endogenous PARKIN abundance. RNAseq analysis revealed the PARKIN-encoding locus as a prime THAP11 target, and THAP11 CRISPR knockout in multiple cell types enhanced pUb accumulation. Thus, our work demonstrates the critical role of PARKIN abundance, identifies regulating genes, and reveals a link between transcriptional repression and mitophagy, which is also apparent in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons, a disease-relevant cell type.


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