scholarly journals Piezo1-Mediated Mechanotransduction Promotes Cardiac Hypertrophy by Impairing Calcium Homeostasis to Activate Calpain/Calcineurin Signaling

Author(s):  
Yuhao Zhang ◽  
Sheng-an Su ◽  
Wudi Li ◽  
Yuankun Ma ◽  
Jian Shen ◽  
...  

Hemodynamic overload induces pathological cardiac hypertrophy, which is an independent risk factor for intractable heart failure in long run. Beyond neurohumoral regulation, mechanotransduction has been recently recognized as a major regulator of cardiac hypertrophy under a myriad of conditions. However, the identification and molecular features of mechanotransducer on cardiomyocytes are largely sparse. For the first time, we identified Piezo1 (Piezo type mechanosensitive ion channel component 1), a novel mechanosensitive ion channel with preference to Ca 2+ was remarkably upregulated under pressure overload and enriched near T-tubule and intercalated disc of cardiomyocyte. By applying cardiac conditional Piezo1 knockout mice (Piezo1 fl/fl Myh6Cre+, Piezo1 Cko ) undergoing transverse aortic constriction, we demonstrated that Piezo1 was required for the development of cardiac hypertrophy and subsequent adverse remodeling. Activation of Piezo1 by external mechanical stretch or agonist Yoda1 lead to the enlargement of cardiomyocytes in vitro, which was blocked by Piezo1 silencing or Yoda1 analog Dooku1 or Piezo1 inhibitor GsMTx4. Mechanistically, Piezo1 perturbed calcium homeostasis, mediating extracellular Ca 2+ influx and intracellular Ca 2+ overload, thereby increased the activation of Ca 2+ -dependent signaling, calcineurin, and calpain. Inhibition of calcineurin or calpain could abolished Yoda1 induced upregulation of hypertrophy markers and the hypertrophic growth of cardiomyocytes in vitro. From a comprehensive view of the cardiac transcriptome, most of Piezo1 affected genes were highly enriched in muscle cell physiology, tight junction, and corresponding signaling. This study characterizes an undefined role of Piezo1 in pressure overload induced cardiac hypertrophy. It may partially decipher the differential role of calcium under pathophysiological condition, implying a promising therapeutic target for cardiac dysfunction.

Hypertension ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 68 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongliang Li ◽  
Peng Zhang

TRAF associated NF-κB activator (TANK) is adaptor protein which was identified as a negative regulator of TRAF-, TBK1- and IKKi-mediated signal transduction through its interaction with them. Besides its important roles in the regulation of immune response, it has been reported that TANK contributes to the development of autoimmune nephritis and osteoclastogenesis. However, its functions in cardiovascular diseases especially cardiac hypertrophy is largely unknown. In the present study, we interestingly observed that TNAK expression is increased by 240% in human hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(HCM)tissue and 320% in mouse hypertrophic heart after aortic banding (AB), indicating that TANK may be involved in the pathogenesis of this diseases. Subsequently, cardiac-specific TANK knockout (TANK-KO) and transgenic(TANK-TG)mice were generated and subjected to AB for 4 to 8 weeks. Our results demonstrated that TANK deficiency prevented against cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis induced by pressure overload,as evidenced by that the cardiomyocytes enlargement and fibrosis formation was reduced by about 34% and 43% compared with WT mice, respectively. Conversely, TANK-TG mice showed an aggravated effect on cardiac hypertrophy in response to pressure overload with 36% and 47% increase of cardiomyocytes enlargement and fibrosis formation compared with non-transgenic mice. More importantly, in vitro experiments further revealed that TANK overexpression which was mediated by adenovirus in the cardiomyocytes dramatically increased the cell size and the expression of hypertrophic markers, whereas TANK knockdown had an opposite function. Mechanistically, we discovered that AKT signaling was activated (230%) in the hearts of TANK-TG mice, while being greatly reduced in TNAK-KO hearts after aortic banding. Moreover, blocking AKT/GSK3β signaling with a pharmacological AKT inhibitor reversed cardiac dysfunction of TANK-TG mice. Collectively, our data show that TNAK acts as a novel regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and may be a promising therapeutic targets.


Author(s):  
Yuxuan Luo ◽  
Nan Jiang ◽  
Herman I. May ◽  
Xiang Luo ◽  
Anwarul Ferdous ◽  
...  

Background: Cardiac hypertrophy is an independent risk factor for heart failure, a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The calcineurin/NFAT (nuclear factor of activated T cells) pathway and the MAPK/Erk (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) pathway contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiac hypertrophy as an inter-dependent network of signaling cascades. However, how these pathways interact remains unclear, and specifically few direct targets responsible for the pro-hypertrophic role of NFAT have been described. Methods: By engineering a cardiomyocyte-specific ETS2 (a member of E26 transformationspecific sequence (ETS)-domain family) knockout mice, we investigated the role of ETS2 in cardiac hypertrophy. Primary cardiomyocytes were also used to evaluate ETS2 function in cell growth. Results: ETS2 is phosphorylated and activated by Erk1/2 upon hypertrophic stimulation in both mouse (n = 3) and human heart samples (n = 8-19). Conditional deletion of ETS2 in mouse cardiomyocytes protects against pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy (n = 6-11). Furthermore, silencing of ETS2 in the hearts of calcineurin transgenic mice significantly attenuates hypertrophic growth and contractile dysfunction (n = 8). As a transcription factor, ETS2 is capable of binding to the promoters of hypertrophic marker genes, such as ANP, BNP and Rcan1.4 (n = 4). Additionally, we report that ETS2 forms a complex with NFAT to stimulate transcriptional activity through increased NFAT binding to the promoters of at least two hypertrophy-stimulated genes, Rcan1.4 and miR-223 (n = 4-6). Suppression of miR-223 in cardiomyocytes inhibits calcineurin-mediated cardiac hypertrophy (n = 6), revealing miR-223 as a novel pro-hypertrophic target of the calcineurin-NFAT and Erk1/2-ETS2 pathways. Conclusions: In aggregate, our findings point to a critical role for ETS2 in calcineurin-NFAT pathway-driven cardiac hypertrophy and unveil a previously unknown molecular connection between the Erk1/2 activation of ETS2 and expression of NFAT/ETS2 target genes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 1313-1325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ning Zhang ◽  
Wen-Ying Wei ◽  
Zheng Yang ◽  
Yan Che ◽  
Ya-Ge Jin ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: An increase in oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathophysiology of pressure-overload induced cardiac hypertrophy. Nobiletin (NOB), extracted from the fruit peel of citrus, possesses anti-oxidative property. Our study aimed to investigate the protective role of NOB in the progression of cardiac hypertrophy in vivo and in vitro. Methods: Mice received aortic banding (AB) operation to induce cardiac hypertrophy. Experimental groups were as follows: sham+vehicle (VEH/SH), sham+NOB (NOB/SH), AB+vehicle (VEH/AB), and AB+ NOB (NOB/AB). Animals (n = 15 per group) were treated with vehicle or NOB (50 mg/kg) for 4 weeks after disease onset. Results: NOB prevented cardiac hypertrophy induced by aortic banding (AB), as assessed by the cross-sectional area of cardiomyocytes, heart weight-to-body weight ratio, gene expression of hypertrophic markers and cardiac function. In addition, NOB supplementation blunted the increased expression of NAPDH oxidase (NOX) 2 and NOX4 and mitigated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and myocyte apoptosis in cardiac hypertrophy. Furthermore, NOB treatment attenuated the neonatal rat cardiomyocyte (NRCM) hypertrophic response stimulated by phenylephrine (PE) and alleviated ER stress. However, our data showed that NOB dramatically inhibited NOX2 expression but not NOX4 in vitro. Finally, we found that knockdown of NOX2 attenuated ER stress in NRCMs stimulated by PE. Conclusions: Inhibition of oxidative and ER stress by NOB in the myocardium may represent a potential therapy for cardiac hypertrophy. Moreover, there is a direct role of NOX2 in regulating ER stress stimulated by PE.


2016 ◽  
Vol 131 (2) ◽  
pp. 141-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-ming Li ◽  
Yi-fan Zhao ◽  
Guo-fu Zhu ◽  
Wen-hui Peng ◽  
Meng-yun Zhu ◽  
...  

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is an independent risk factor of heart failure. However, we still lack effective methods to reverse cardiac hypertrophy. DUSP12 is a member of the dual specific phosphatase (DUSP) family, which is characterized by its DUSP activity to dephosphorylate both tyrosine and serine/threonine residues on one substrate. Some DUSPs have been identified as being involved in the regulation of cardiac hypertrophy. However, the role of DUSP12 during pathological cardiac hypertrophy is still unclear. In the present study, we observed a significant decrease in DUSP12 expression in hypertrophic hearts and cardiomyocytes. Using a genetic loss-of-function murine model, we demonstrated that DUSP12 deficiency apparently aggravated pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis as well as impaired cardiac function, whereas cardiac-specific overexpression of DUPS12 was capable of reversing this hypertrophic and fibrotic phenotype and improving contractile function. Furthermore, we demonstrated that JNK1/2 activity but neither ERK1/2 nor p38 activity was increased in the DUSP12 deficient group and decreased in the DUSP12 overexpression group both in vitro and in vivo under hypertrophic stress conditions. Pharmacological inhibition of JNK1/2 activity (SP600125) is capable of reversing the hypertrophic phenotype in DUSP12 knockout (KO) mice. DUSP12 protects against pathological cardiac hypertrophy and related pathologies. This regulatory role of DUSP12 is primarily through c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibition. DUSP12 could be a promising therapeutic target of pathological cardiac hypertrophy. DUSP12 is down-regulated in hypertrophic hearts. An absence of DUSP12 aggravated cardiac hypertrophy, whereas cardiomyocyte-specific DUSP12 overexpression can alleviate this hypertrophic phenotype with improved cardiac function. Further study demonstrated that DUSP12 inhibited JNK activity to attenuate pathological cardiac hypertrophy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 121 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diem H Tran ◽  
Jianping Li ◽  
Xiaoding Wang ◽  
Herman I May ◽  
Gabriele G Schiattarella ◽  
...  

Background & significance: Heart failure affects approximately 6 million Americans, with 5-year survival of 50%, which is responsible for a huge burden on the US economy and healthcare system. The relevance and significance of the metabolic alteration to the pathogenesis of pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure are largely unknown. The hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) that is linked to metabolism of glucose, fatty acids and amino acids, has been implicated in the pathophysiology of heart diseases. Methods & results: Thoracic aortic constriction (TAC) was performed to induce heart failure by pressure overload in mice. At the in vitro levels, treatment of phenylephrine (PE, 50 μM) was used to induce cellular hypertrophy in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM). Our data revealed that all the enzymes of the HBP were upregulated while induction of hypertrophy at both in vivo and in vitro levels. Consistently, the intermediate product of the HBP was elevated in heart by afterload stress, as measured by metabolomics analyses. In the transgenic mice model for Gfat1, the rate-limiting enzyme of the HBP, we found more profound cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac remodeling in response to pressure overload. The increase of O-GlcNAc was also observed. In addition, the regulation of O-GlcNAcylation by specific targeting of two enzymes of the HBP (1 mM Alloxan, an inhibitor of OGT and 10 μM PUGNAc, an inhibitor of OGA) in NRVM suggested an involvement of the mTOR signaling in the activation of O-GlcNAc levels and the hypertrophy response. Targeting of the HBP by either specific siRNA or Gfat1 inhibitor (Azaserine, 5 μM) led to decrease in cellular hypertrophic response. Conclusions: Together, our data strongly suggest that the HBP participates in cardiac hypertrophic growth and pharmacologic targeting of the HBP may represent a novel approach to ameliorate pathological remodeling.


Author(s):  
Wei Wang ◽  
Nian Liu ◽  
Li Xin ◽  
Yanfei Ruan ◽  
Xin Du ◽  
...  

AbstractHeart often undergoes mal-remodeling and hypertrophic growth in response to pathological stress. MiRNAs can regulate the cardiac function and participate in the regulation of cardiac hypertrophy. The present study aims at identifying the role of miR-296-5p in cardiac hypertrophy and further the underlying mechanism in hypertrophic cascades. Mice with cardiac hypertrophy were established by transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Cardiac hypertrophy in cardiomyocytes was induced by angiotensin II. Expression of miR-296-5p and its target gene CACNG6 was examined in cardiomyocytes transfected by miRNA. The expression of miR-296-5p was upregulated in mice with TAC surgery. The inhibition of miR-296-5p attenuated cardiac hypertrophy both in vitro and in vivo. And dual-luciferase reporter assays showed CACNG6 was the direct target of miR-296-5p, which modulated the expression of calcium signaling. MiR-296-5p was found to aggravate cardiac hypertrophy by targeting CACNG6, which suggests inhibition of miR-296-5p might have clinical potential to suppress cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.


Author(s):  
Lisa E Dorn ◽  
William R Lawrence ◽  
Jennifer Petrosino ◽  
Xianyao Xu ◽  
Thomas J Hund ◽  
...  

Rationale: Cardiac hypertrophy, a major risk factor for heart failure, occurs when cardiomyocytes remodel in response to complex signaling induced by injury or cell stress. Although cardiomyocytes are the ultimate effectors of cardiac hypertrophy, non-myocyte populations play a large yet understudied role in determining how cardiomyocytes respond to stress. Objective: To identify novel paracrine regulators of cardiomyocyte hypertrophic remodeling. Methods and Results: : We have identified a novel role for a non-myocyte-derived and TGFbeta1-induced extracellular matrix protein Microfibrillar-associated protein 4 (MFAP4) in the pathophysiology of cardiac remodeling. We have determined that non-myocyte cells are the primary sources of MFAP4 in the heart in response to TGFbeta1 stimulation. Furthermore, we have demonstrated a crucial role of MFAP4 in the cardiac adaptation to stress. Global knockout of MFAP4 led to increased cardiac hypertrophy and worsened cardiac function following chronic pressure overload. Also, one week of angiotensin-mediated neurohumoral stimulation was sufficient to exacerbate cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in MFAP4 null mice. In contrast, administration of exogenous MFAP4 to isolated cardiomyocytes blunted their phenylephrine-induced hypertrophic growth through an integrin-dependent mechanism. Finally, MFAP4 deficiency leads to dysregulated integration of G protein-coupled receptor and integrin signaling in the heart. Conclusions: Altogether, our results demonstrate a critical paracrine role of MFAP4 in the development of cardiac hypertrophy and could inform future treatment options for heart failure patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linbang Wang ◽  
Tao He ◽  
Jingkun Liu ◽  
Jiaojiao Tai ◽  
Bing Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are abundant in the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, their contribution to the immunosuppressive status of the TME remains unclear. Methods We integrated single-cell sequencing and transcriptome data from different tumor types to uncover the molecular features of TAMs. In vitro experiments and prospective clinical tests confirmed the results of these analysis. Results We first detected intra- and inter-tumoral heterogeneities between TAM subpopulations and their functions, with CD86+ TAMs playing a crucial role in tumor progression. Next, we focused on the ligand-receptor interactions between TAMs and tumor cells in different TME phenotypes and discovered that aberrant expressions of six hub genes, including FLI1, are involved in this process. A TAM-tumor cell co-culture experiment proved that FLI1 was involved in tumor cell invasion, and FLI1 also showed a unique pattern in patients. Finally, TAMs were discovered to communicate with immune and stromal cells. Conclusion We determined the role of TAMs in the TME by focusing on their communication pattern with other TME components. Additionally, the screening of hub genes revealed potential therapeutic targets.


2021 ◽  
Vol 129 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prachi Umbarkar ◽  
Sultan Tousif ◽  
Anand P Singh ◽  
Joshua C Anderson ◽  
qinkun zhang ◽  
...  

Background: Myocardial fibrosis contributes significantly to heart failure (HF). Fibroblasts are among the predominant cell type in the heart and are primary drivers of fibrosis. To identify the kinases involved in fibrosis, we analyzed the kinome of mouse cardiac fibroblasts (CF) isolated from normal and failing hearts. This unbiased screening revealed the critical role of the GSK-3 family-centric pathways in fibrosis. Previously we have shown that among two isoforms of GSK3, CF-GSK3β acts as a negative regulator of fibrosis in the injured heart. However, the role of CF-GSK3α in the pathogenesis of cardiac diseases is completely unknown. Methods and Results: To define the role of CF-GSK3α in HF, we employed two novel fibroblast-specific KO mouse models. Specifically, GSK3α was deleted from fibroblasts or myofibroblasts with tamoxifen-inducible Tcf21- or periostin- promoter-driven Cre recombinase. In both models, GSK3α deletion restricted pressure overload-induced cardiac fibrosis and preserved cardiac function. We examined the effect of GSK3α deletion on myofibroblast transformation and pro-fibrotic TGFβ1-SMAD3 signaling in vitro . A significant reduction in cell migration, collagen gel contraction, and α-SMA expression in TGFβ1-treated KO CFs confirmed that GSK3α is required for myofibroblast transformation. Surprisingly, GSK3α deletion did not affect SMAD3 activation, indicating the pro-fibrotic role of GSK3α is SMAD3 independent. To further delineate the underlying mechanisms, proteins were isolated from CFs of WT and KO mice at 4 weeks post-injury, and kinome profiling was performed. The kinome analysis identified the downregulation of RAF family kinase activity in KO CFs. Moreover, mapping of significantly altered kinases against literature annotated interactions generated ERK-centric networks. Consistently, flow cytometric analysis of CFs confirmed significantly low levels of pERK in KO mice. Additionally, our in vitro studies demonstrated that GSK3α deletion prevents TGFβ1-induced ERK activation. Interestingly, IL-11, a pro-fibrotic downstream effector of TGFβ1, was remarkably reduced in KO CFs and ERK inhibition further decreased IL-11 expression. Taken together, herein, we discovered the GSK3α-ERK-IL-11 signaling as a critical pro-fibrotic pathway in the heart. Strategies to inhibit this pro-fibrotic network could prevent adverse fibrosis and HF. Conclusion: CF-GSK3α plays a causal role in myocardial fibrosis that could be therapeutically targeted for future clinical applications.


1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (1) ◽  
pp. H68-H78 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. Cory ◽  
R. W. Grange ◽  
M. E. Houston

The loss of load-sensitive relaxation observed in the pressure-overloaded heart may reflect a strategy of slowed cytosolic Ca2+ uptake to yield a prolongation of the active state of the muscle and a decrease in cellular energy expenditure. A decrease in the potential of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) to resequester cytosolic Ca2+ during diastole could contribute to this attenuated load sensitivity. To test this hypothesis, both in vitro mechanical function of anterior papillary muscles and the SR Ca2+ sequestration potential of female guinea pig left ventricle were compared in cardiac hypertrophy (Hyp) and sham-operated (Sham) groups. Twenty-one days of pressure overload induced by coarctation of the suprarenal, subdiaphragmatic aorta resulted in a 36% increase in left ventricular mass in the Hyp. Peak isometric tension, the rate of isometric tension development, and the maximal rates of isometric and isotonic relaxation were significantly reduced in Hyp. Load-sensitive relaxation were significantly reduced in Hyp. Load-sensitive relaxation quantified by the ratio of a rapid loading to unloading force step in isotonically contracting papillary muscle was reduced 50% in Hyp muscles. Maximum activity of SR Ca(2+)-adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) measured under optimal conditions (37 degrees C; saturating Ca2+) was unaltered, but at low free Ca2+ concentrations (0.65 microM), it was decreased by 43% of the Sham response. Bivariate regression analysis revealed a significant (r = 0.84; P = 0.009) relationship between the decrease in SR Ca(2+)-ATPase activity and the loss of load-sensitive relaxation after aortic coarctation. Stimulation of the SR Ca(2+)-ATPase by the catalytic subunit of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-dependent protein kinase resulted in a 2.6-fold increase for Sham but only a 1.6-fold increase for Hyp. Semiquantitative Western blot radioimmunoassays revealed that the changes in SR Ca(2+)-ATPase activity were not due to decreases in the content of the Ca(2+)-ATPase protein or phospholamban. Our data directly implicate a role for decreased SR function in attenuated load sensitivity. A purposeful downregulation of SR Ca2+ uptake likely results from a qualitative rather than a quantitative change in the ATPase and possibly one of its key regulators, phospholamban.


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