Abstract 15963: Microrna Biophysically Modulates Cardiac Physiology via Directly Binding to Ion Channel

Abstract

Background: Cardiac arrhythmias are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. MicroRNAs (miRs) regulate the (electro) physiology of the heart and remodeling by canonical RNAi mechanism. Hypothesis: miRs maintain cardiac physiology also through noncanonical mechanisms. Methods: The physical binding between cardiac predominant miR--miR1 and ion channels was explored by EMSA, in situ PLA, RNA pull down and RIP assays. Electrophysiology of cardiomyocytes (CMs) and ex vivo miR1-deficient hearts were studied to reveal the functional outcome and the pathophysiological significance. Results: miR1 physically binds with an inward rectifier K + channel Kir2.1, which exists endogenously in CMs. This miR1-Kir2.1 binding is evolutionarily conserved. Functionally, miR1, at sub-pmol/L concentration, significantly suppresses IK1, depolarizes resting membrane potential, and prolongs final repolarization of action potentials in CMs. Mechanistically, miR1 binds to the pore-facing G-loop of Kir2.1 though the core sequence AAGAAG, which is outside the seed region. This biophysical modulation is involved in the dysregulation of a gain-of-function mutation Kir2.1-M301K in short-QT/AF patients. An AF-associated miR1-hSNP14A/G specifically disrupts the biophysical modulation while maintains miR1’s RNAi function. Significantly, miR1 but not hSNP14A/G eliminates the high inducibility of arrhythmia in miR1-deficient hearts. Conclusion: We reveal a novel function of miRs and develop a ground-breaking concept that endogenous miRs can physically bind with ion channels and rapidly modulate cardiac electrophysiology before its long-term effect of conventional RNAi mechanism. Our study provides more comprehensive understanding of ion-channel dysregulation associated with cardiac arrhythmias.