Abstract 17705: BAG5 Plays a Critical Role in the Regulation of Cellular Oxidative Stress and Heart Function

Abstract

Introduction: Molecular chaperone and co-chaperone play important roles in maintaining cardiac function by regulating cellular proteostasis and reducing oxidative stress during hypertrophy. Bcl2 binding proteinBAG5 belongs to Bcl-2 associated anthanogene (BAG) family and acts as a co-chaperone to HSP70. Genetic mutation of BAG5 induces dilated cardiomyopathy and arrhythmia. However, the molecular mechanism of BAG5 in heart function is unclear. In this study, we explore the regulatory role of BAG5 in heart function. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that BAG5 is an important Co-chaperone of cardiomyocytes and regulates heart function through the regulation of cellular proteostasis and oxidative stress. Method: We have generated adenovirus to overexpress and knockdown the BAG5 protein in cardiomyocytes. Additionally, we have generated BAG5 knockout mice to test the effect of BAG5 deficiency on cardiac function. Further, we have conducted a proteomics study to explore the role of BAG5 in heart function. Additionally, we tested the role of BAG5 in isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Results: Our results show that deficiency of BAG5 induces cellular hypertrophy and induction of cellular autophagy. Cardiac function analysis by echocardiography shows that the knockdown of BAG5 compromises heart function. Further, a protein interaction study shows that BAG5 participates in several critical heart signaling, including mitochondrial oxphos and glutathione-mediated regulation of oxidative stress. Additionally, we found that the knockdown of BAG5 worsens heart function during isoproterenol treatment. Conclusion: Our study shows a novel function of BAG5 and BAG5 can be exploited in treating cardiac hypertrophy and reducing oxidative stress.