Cardiac-specific Transgenic Mice Research Articles

Nemo-Like Kinase (NLK) Is a Pathological Signaling Effector in the Mouse Heart.

Nemo-like kinase (NLK) is an evolutionary conserved serine/threonine protein kinase implicated in development, proliferation and apoptosis regulation. Here we identified NLK as a gene product induced in the hearts of mice subjected to pressure overload or myocardial infarction injury, suggesting a potential regulatory role with pathological stimulation to this organ. To examine the potential functional consequences of increased NLK levels, cardiac-specific transgenic mice with inducible expression of this gene product were generated, as well as cardiac-specific Nlk gene-deleted mice. NLK transgenic mice demonstrated baseline cardiac hypertrophy, dilation, interstitial fibrosis, apoptosis and progression towards heart failure in response to two surgery-induced cardiac disease models. In contrast, cardiac-specific deletion of Nlk from the heart, achieved by crossing a Nlk-loxP allele containing mouse with either a mouse containing a β-myosin heavy chain promoter driven Cre transgene or a tamoxifen inducible α-myosin heavy chain promoter containing transgene driving a MerCreMer cDNA, protected the mice from cardiac dysfunction following pathological stimuli. Mechanistically, NLK interacted with multiple proteins including the transcription factor Stat1, which was significantly increased in the hearts of NLK transgenic mice. These results indicate that NLK is a pathological effector in the heart.

Abstract P235: Balancing Truss Expression Paves a Way for Cardiac Hypertrophy Therapy

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy, which is always accompanied by cardiac fibrosis and the resultant cardiac dysfunction, leads to hear failure and even sudden death. The TNF-receptor ubiquitous signaling and scaffolding protein (TRUSS) that is enriched in the heart has been identified as a negative regulator of cancer. However, the role of TRUSS in cardiac remodeling is unknown. Here, we aimed to investigate the potential participation of TRUSS in cardiac hypertrophy and the molecular events by which TRUSS regulates this pathological condition. The pathological cardiac hypertrophy model was established by pressure overload in vivo and Ang II stimulation in vitro . We observed that the expression level of TRUSS was dramatically increased in the heart and in primary cardiomyocytes upon pro-hypertrophic stimuli. To illustrate the functional role of TRUSS in cardiac remodeling, the cardiac specific knockout (KO) or transgenic (TG) mice were employed. After aortic binding (AB) for 4 weeks, TRUSS deficiency conferred significant resistance to pressure overload via significantly inhibiting cardiomyocytes enlargement and fibrosis formation by about 37% and 46%, respectively, whereas dramatically exacerbated hypertrophy, fibrosis, and cardiac dysfunction were shown in TRUSS-TG mice compared to their littermate controls. Mechanistically, TRUSS can directly bind to JNK, a well-known pro-hypertrophic factor, and activate its downstream pathway. Further investigations indicated that the aggravated effect of TRUSS on cardiac hypertrophy can be almost completely reversed by a specific JNK inhibitor, SP600125, indicating a JNK-dependent manner of TRUSS-regulated cardiac hypertrophy. The directly exacerbated function of TRUSS in cardiomyocytes and the JNK-dependent mechanisms were further validated in primary cardiomyocytes that treated with Ang II after infection with AdshTRUSS or AdTRUSS. Notably, the increased protein and mRNA expression of TRUSS was also observed in heart samples from patients with hypertrophic cardiac myopathy. In conclusion, TRUSS functions as a positive regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy, suggesting a promising therapeutic approach for the hypertrophy related heart diseases by balancing TRUSS expression.

Abstract 026: Role of Tank in the Regulation of Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy

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.

Abstract 222: Sigmar1 Mediates Mitochondrial Autophagy and Protects the Heart Against Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Rationale: Sigma 1 receptor (Sigmar1) is a highly expressed mitochondrion-associated ER membrane resident protein in different cell lines. We recently reported that Sigmar1 is highly expressed in cardiomyocytes but it’s molecular functions and role in the stress response still remains unknown. Objective: We investigated the functional role of Sigmar1 in mediating mitochondrial autophagy, mitochondrial fission and effects on stress resistance in the heart. Methods and Results: Subcellular fractionation and biochemical experiments confirmed Sigmar1 expression in the mitochondria, where it resides as an integral mitochondrial outer membrane protein. Sigmar1 overexpression induced mitochondrial fission, increased autophagosome formation and autophagic flux in cardiomyocytes. Similarly, cardiac specific Sigmar1 transgenic (Tg) mice showed increased levels of mitochondrial fission and mitochondrial autophagy without adverse effects. Conversely, Sigmar1 knockdown induced both mitochondrial elongation and accumulation of damaged mitochondria, whereas autophagosome formation and autophagic flux were reduced at baseline and in response to glucose deprivation in cardiomyocytes. Parallel studies using Sigmar1 knockout mice showed increased accumulation of abnormal mitochondria and significantly altered cardiac contractility. To define the functional significance of Sigmar1 in the cardiac stress response, we subjected the mice to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Sigmar1 Tg mouse showed reduced infarct size, protected from I/R-injury induced adverse cardiac remodeling, and improved cardiac function associated with enhanced mitochondrial autophagy even 12 weeks after reperfusion injury. In contrary, knockdown of Sigmar1 evoked mitochondrial dysfunction, accumulation of abnormal mitochondria, enhanced adverse cardiac remodeling, aggravated cardiac dysfunction and increased susceptibility to I/R-injury. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that Sigmar1 is an integral mitochondrial outer membrane protein dispensable for constitutive mitochondrial quality control in normal hearts. Sigmar1 regulates mitochondrial autophagy to protect the heart against I/R injury-induced cardiac remodeling and dysfunction.

Abstract 271: NF-kB Mediated Modulation of mir-23b/-130a-axis is Critical for Cardiac Remodeling

Cardiac remodeling is a process that alters structural and functional determinants of myocardium in response to hemodynamic stress resulted in left ventricular hypertrophy, fibrosis leading to heart failure. Pressure overload that induces cardiac remodeling involves both cardiomyocytes (CM) and cardiac fibroblasts (CF) cross-talk for the development of adverse remodeling. The miRNAs are a new class of post-transcriptional regulator capable of repressing gene expression by base pairing to the 3' UTR of mRNA targets; involved in diverse cardiac diseases. However, the function of miRNAs in cellular cross-talk leading to cardiac remodeling remains elusive. Previously, we showed that inhibition of NF-kB prevents cardiac remodeling; however, NF-κB mediated miRNAs’ role in cardiac remodeling remains elusive. We will test the hypothesis that NF-κB dependent miR-23b/-130a is a pathogenic niche regulating the cardiac remodeling; and inhibition of miR-23b/-130a abrogates the adverse remodeling by restoring PPARg-PTEN-axis. We have identified a panel of novel dysregulated miRNAs in the left ventricle of wild type mice subjected to thoracic aortic constriction (TAC). The dysregulated miRNAs were restored in cardiac-specific IκBα triple-mutant transgenic mice (3M) subjected to TAC indicated NF-kB dependent regulation. We observed that miR-130a and miR-23b were significantly upregulated in TAC and Ang II infusion and were inhibited in 3M-TAC mice. We identified PPARg-PTEN-axis, a bona-fide target for miR-23b/-130a after unbiased in vitro screening. Inhibition of NF-kB normalized miR-23b/-130a expression and the target genes in Ang II and TGFb1 stimulated CM and CF. Inhibition of miR-130a showed reduction of cell sizes in CM and decrease cellular proliferation in CF indicated a cellular cross-talk. The in vivo inhibition of miR-130a in wild-type mice after Ang II infusion significantly reduced cardiac remodeling, restoring PPARg-PTEN level and improved cardiac function. Our findings provide evidence that miR-23b/-130a displays a critical role in the pathogenesis of cardiac remodeling. We conclude that miR-23b/-130a could be a triggering factor in cardiac remodeling and providing new mechanistic information for therapeutic benefit.

Cardiac Specific Overexpression of hHole Attenuates Isoproterenol-Induced Hypertrophic Remodeling through Inhibition of Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinases (ERKs) Signalling.

The human Hole gene (hHole) encodes a six-transmembrane protein with 319- amino acids. Our previous study showed that hHole was strongly expressed in adult heart and may act as a suppressor of extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs), overactivation of which contributed to pathological cardiac hypertrophy. In this study, it was observed that Hole expression was up-regulated in murine hypertrophic hearts. In a cardiac specific transgenic mouse model, it was observed that overexpression of hHole specifically in heart attenuated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis induced by isoproterenol (ISO), with blunted transcriptions of ERK1/2, total ERK1/2 proteins and phosphorylated ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) levels. Furthermore, overexpression of hHole in mice by hydrodynamic tail-vein injection with hHole plamids also inhibited cardiac hypertrophy induced by ISO. Our work identified hHole as a novel repressor of cardiac hypertrophy, and provided new insights into the possible target for the prevention or treatment of cardiac diseases.

Abstract 18238: Cardiomyocyte-specific Bag3+ Mutation P209L Induces Mitochondrial Fragmentation, Increased Apoptosis, and Activates p38 Signaling in vivo

Introduction: There are 6 members of the Bcl2-related anthanogene (BAG) protein family, which act as co-chaperones expressed at high levels in skeletal and cardiac muscle. BAG3 is involved in chaperone-assisted selective autophagy (CASA). Mutations in the Z-disc protein BAG3 have recently been found to cause myofibrillar myopathy (MFM) with cardiac complications (dilated cardiomyopathy). The missense mutation Pro209Leu (P209L) is one of ten BAG3 mutations identified in human disease to date. Hypothesis: Cardiac BAG3 P209L expression inhibits CASA, evidenced by less autophagic flux of misfolded proteins. Methods: Cardiac specific transgenic mice with alphaMHC-driven human Bag3P209L were created and analyzed functionally over 12 months. Histological analysis of apoptosis (TUNEL), pre-amyloid oligomers (PAO), and fibroblasts were performed in parallel with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and molecular analysis of autophagy and mitochondrial dynamics. Results: Starting at 8 months, Bag3 P209L Tg+ hearts had significantly depressed systolic function. By 12 months, significant deficits in both diastolic and systolic function were identified, along with increased number of fragmented mitochondria and significant alterations in genes regulating mitochondrial fusion (Opa1) and Fission (Drp1). Immunofluorescence analysis revealed no differences in apoptosis (TUNEL) or autophagic flux (LC3II). But increased levels of cardiomyocyte pre-amyloid oligomers (PAO) were identified by confocal immunofluorescence. As PAO proteotoxic intermediates found in neurodegenerative diseases reportedly activate p38 MAPK, we assayed BAG3 P209L Tg+ hearts and found a significant ~50% increase in phospho-p38/p38. Conclusion: As increased activated p38 activity has negative inotropic and restrictive diastolic effects in vivo, we conclude that inhibiting p38 activity in BAG3 P209L patients may attenuate and/or delay the onset of heart failure. Studies are underway testing this hypothesis using specific inhibitors of P38 and downstream signaling pathways in vivo.

Abstract 62: Cardiac Troponin T Isoform Switching in Early Childhood Tropomyosin-linked Dilated Cardiomyopathy

An oft-noted component of sarcomeric DCM is the observation that patients within families carrying the same primary mutation exhibit significant phenotypic variability. This lack of a distinct link between genotype and phenotype has complicated clinical management. In a recent study of two unrelated multigenerational families with the tropomyosin (Tm) mutation Asp230Asn (D230N), a striking “bimodal” distribution of severity was observed. In these families, many children (<1 year) with the mutation presented with a severe form of DCM that led to sudden, often fatal CHF while adults developed a mild to moderate DCM in mid-life. Of note, children who survived the initial presentation often recovered significant systolic function into young adulthood. A potential hypothesis to explain this improvement despite the continued presence of the mutant Tm, is that the phenotype is modified by other thin filament isoforms. Thus we propose that the age-dependent remodeling seen in children with D230N Tm is a result of temporal isoform switches involving a closely linked Tm binding partner cardiac Troponin T (cTnT). Our initial biophysical studies (Regulated-IVM) revealed a decreased Ca2+ sensitivity in filaments containing D230N Tm that is more severe in the presence of fetal TnT (cTnT1), suggesting a modulatory role for cTnT1. Cardiac performance, assessed via 2D echo, in our novel D230N Tm x cTnT1 double transgenic (DTg) mouse model found a significantly reduced % FS for DTg (17%) mice as compared to D230N Tm (21%) littermates. This reduction in %FS was seen at 4 months but not 2 suggesting a progressive cardiomyopathy. Current efforts aim to model the early phase of this “bimodal” phenotype and assess the potential for disease reversibility using a cardiac specific inducible cTnT1 transgenic mouse model. Furthermore, we propose that modulation by cTnT1 could represent a more general mechanism for the progressive remodeling seen in human heart failure. Preliminary in vitro studies with human tissue found that RNA levels of cTnT1 are significantly higher in failing hearts as compared to non-failing. Thus these data suggest an isoform dependent mechanism for the “bimodal” phenotype in patients carrying D230N Tm that could translate to other sarcomeric cardiomyopathies.

Abstract 352: Dual Specificity Phosphatase 8 (dusp8) Regulates Cardiac Remodeling and Function by Affecting Erk1/2 Phosphorylation

Rationale: Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are activated in the heart by various stress-inducing stimuli, where they participate in cardiac hypertrophy, contractility, and cell death. A family of dual-specificity phosphatases (DUSPs) directly inactivates each of the MAPK terminal effectors, thus providing a feedback mechanism to regulate the activity and recycling of MAPKs. How DUSPs regulate MAPK signaling to influence cardiac function is not well understood. Objective: To determine the role of DUSP8 in regulating MAPK signaling and the effect on cardiac disease. Methods and Results: We generated DUSP8 null (KO) and inducible cardiac specific DUSP8 transgenic mice to assess the effect on cardiac structure-function at baseline and with stress-responsiveness. Loss of DUSP8 did not alter cardiac structure-function or MAPK phosphorylation at baseline. However, with pressure overload or myocardial infarction injury, DUSP8 KO mice developed concentric hypertrophy with preserved cardiac function compared to wild type controls, suggesting a cardioprotective role for loss of DUSP8. DUSP8 transgenic mice developed cardiac hypertrophy at baseline as evidenced by elevated expression of hypertrophic marker genes as well as increased heart weights and cross sectional area of the myocytes. DUSP8 transgenic mice also had mild interstitial fibrosis and reduced fractional shortening. Biochemical analysis of MAPK phosphorylation demonstrated increased ERK phosphorylation in KO mice upon stress, suggesting a molecular mechanism underlying the increased concentric growth of DUSP8 KO cardiomyocytes. Conclusions: Taken together, these data demonstrate that DUSP8 modulates ERK phosphorylation to influence cardiomyocyte growth and consequent cardiac function with injury. Further analysis of MAPK phosphorylation in DUSP8 transgenic mice will provide more insight into DUSP8-ERK signaling in the heart.

Abstract 208: Parkin Contributes to the Development of Cardiac Hypertrophy in Response to Cardiac Pressure Overload

Parkin is an E3 ubiquitin ligase known to mediate mitochondrial clearance by marking damaged mitochondria for autophagy. Our lab has previously shown that Parkin is important for stress adaptation following myocardial infarction, and that loss of Parkin leads to accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria. However, whether Parkin plays a role in cardiac adaptation to pressure overload is currently unknown. Here we investigated the functional importance of Parkin in cardiac hypertrophy and development of heart failure in response to hemodynamic stress. Wild type (WT), Parkin knock out (Parkin -/- ), and cardiac-specific Parkin transgenic (Parkin-TG) mice were subjected to trans-aortic constriction (TAC). Cardiac anatomy and function was evaluated by histology and echocardiography. Inflammation and hypertrophy gene expression profiles were assessed using qPCR and immunohistochemistry. We discovered that after 2 weeks of TAC, cardiac hypertrophy markers were not increased in hearts from Parkin -/- mice, and there was no increase in the heart weight to body weight ratio (HW/BW). However, after 8 weeks of TAC, Parkin -/- mice showed similar cardiac hypertrophy and loss of function as WT hearts. Parkin deficient hearts also displayed increased interstitial and perivascular fibrosis compared to WT hearts after 8 weeks of TAC. This suggests that there is a delay in activating the hypertrophy program in the absence of Parkin, and that lack of Parkin leads to excessive fibrosis. In contrast, Parkin-TG mice showed a rapid development of hypertrophy and progression to heart failure compared to WT mice. Interestingly, we observed no differences in either mitochondrial content or LC3 levels after two weeks of TAC in Parkin-TG hearts, suggesting that the rapid development of hypertrophy and early progression to heart failure was not due to excessive mitophagy. These data suggest that Parkin plays an important role in the activation of the cardiac hypertrophy program and that this function may be independent of its role in regulating mitophagy. Thus, this study provides novel insight into the functional importance of Parkin in the heart. Additional studies are needed to determine the mechanism of how Parkin regulates cardiac hypertrophy.

Abstract 265: CITED4 Induces Physiologic Hypertrophy and Improves Cardiac Remodeling After Ischemic Injury

Cardiac hypertrophy is an adaptive response to increased hemodynamic stresses, which can be either physiologic, as with exercise, or pathologic, as with valvular heart disease. Recent data suggest that physiologic hypertrophy secondary to exercise may be mediated by the transcription factor CEBPβ and the p300-interacting protein CITED4. We sought to investigate the cardiovascular effects of CITED4 expression in vivo. Using a cardiac-specific and inducible transgenic mouse (Tg) model, we determined the effects of CITED4 expression on cardiac parameters including heart weight, cell size, cardiac function and gene expression. Expression of CITED4 for 3 weeks induced increases in heart weight (22% in HW/TL, p < 0.01) and cardiomyocyte (CM) size (24.5% in cell area, p < 0.001) with normal systolic function and without evidence of fibrosis. Gene profiling demonstrated increased expression of cardiac troponin, a favorable αMHC/βMHC ratio and a reduction in BNP consistent with physiologic hypertrophy. Genome-wide expression profiling of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) over-expressing CITED4 demonstrated the activation of a unique set of genes including BCL2, ATP12a, Efemp1, Ifi204 and Tcf19. To further examine the potential beneficial role of CITED4, we induced ischemia by transient occlusion of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary (30 min) followed by reperfusion for 24 hours, 6 days or 4 weeks. At 24 hrs after ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), neither cardiac dysfunction on echo nor infarct sizes were different between CITED4 Tg and controls. However, CITED4 Tgs showed substantial recovery of cardiac function at 4 weeks (FS: CITED4 Tg 51%, Control 34%, p < 0.01) and a 3.4-fold reduction in fibrosis (p < 0.005). Analysis of possible cellular responses responsible for the functional recovery demonstrated enhanced autophagic flux with reduced accumulation of LC3II (down 71%, p<0.05) and p62 (down 54%, p<0.005). Further examination of the involved signaling pathway revealed direct activation of mTORC1 and its effectors consistent with a growth phenotype. We conclude that CITED4 expression is sufficient to induce physiologic cardiac hypertrophy and improves cardiac remodeling after ischemic injury likely through activation of mTORC1.

Canopy 2 attenuates the transition from compensatory hypertrophy to dilated heart failure in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

A mismatch between adequate angiogenesis and overgrowth of myocytes may be a critical mechanism controlling the transition from adaptive hypertrophy to heart failure. Canopy 2 (CNPY2) was recently identified as a secreted, HIF-1α-regulated angiogenic growth factor. As angiogenic factors play important roles in the development of myocardial hypertrophy, we investigated the role of CNPY2 in molecular and functional changes during development of chronic heart failure using cardiac-specific transgenic (TG) mice that overexpress human CNPY2. We generated TG mice that constitutively express CNPY2 in the myocardium. Cardiomyopathy was induced in TG and wild-type (WT) mice by transverse aortic constriction (TAC). WT mice developed significant ventricular hypertrophy at 4 weeks and severe dilatation and heart failure at 12 weeks after TAC. However, TG mice preserved much better cardiac structure and function, with less severe ventricular dilatation and markedly reduced cardiac apoptosis and fibrosis following TAC. Excess CNPY2 in TG mice prevented significant loss of vasculature up to 12 weeks after TAC injury, resulting in a better local myocardial environment that facilitated myocyte survival and prevented excessive matrix remodelling compared with WT mice. TG mice had less accumulation of endogenous tumor suppressor p53 after TAC, indicating intrinsic activation of the p53-mediated repression of HIF-1α, and Cnpy2 was diminished in TG mice compared with WT controls. Our study showed a correlation between downregulation of endogenous mouse Cnpy2 and p53-mediated HIF-1α inhibition during late-stage hypertrophic development. Additional CNPY2 attenuated the transition from compensatory hypertrophic response to maladaptive ventricular dilatation and heart failure.

Cardiac mTOR rescues the detrimental effects of diet-induced obesity in the heart after ischemia-reperfusion.

Diet-induced obesity deteriorates the recovery of cardiac function after ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. While mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a key mediator of energy metabolism, the effects of cardiac mTOR in ischemic injury under metabolic syndrome remains undefined. Using cardiac-specific transgenic mice overexpressing mTOR (mTOR-Tg mice), we studied the effect of mTOR on cardiac function in both ex vivo and in vivo models of I/R injury in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese mice. mTOR-Tg and wild-type (WT) mice were fed a HFD (60% fat by calories) for 12 wk. Glucose intolerance and insulin resistance induced by the HFD were comparable between WT HFD-fed and mTOR-Tg HFD-fed mice. Functional recovery after I/R in the ex vivo Langendorff perfusion model was significantly lower in HFD-fed mice than normal chow diet-fed mice. mTOR-Tg mice demonstrated better cardiac function recovery and had less of the necrotic markers creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase in both feeding conditions. Additionally, mTOR overexpression suppressed expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including IL-6 and TNF-α, in both feeding conditions after I/R injury. In vivo I/R models showed that at 1 wk after I/R, HFD-fed mice exhibited worse cardiac function and larger myocardial scarring along myofibers compared with normal chow diet-fed mice. In both feeding conditions, mTOR overexpression preserved cardiac function and prevented myocardial scarring. These findings suggest that cardiac mTOR overexpression is sufficient to prevent the detrimental effects of diet-induced obesity on the heart after I/R, by reducing cardiac dysfunction and myocardial scarring.

MiR-361-regulated prohibitin inhibits mitochondrial fission and apoptosis and protects heart from ischemia injury.

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Emerging evidences suggest that the abnormal mitochondrial fission participates in pathogenesis of cardiac diseases, including myocardial infarction (MI) and heart failure. However, the molecular components regulating mitochondrial network in the heart remain largely unidentified. Here we report that miR-361 and prohibitin 1 (PHB1) constitute an axis that regulates mitochondrial fission and apoptosis. The results show that PHB1 attenuates mitochondrial fission and apoptosis in response to hydrogen peroxide treatment in cardiomyocytes. Cardiac-specific PHB1 transgenic mice show reduced mitochondrial fission and myocardial infarction sizes after myocardial infarction surgery. MiR-361 is responsible for the dysfunction of PHB1 and suppresses the translation of PHB1. Knockdown of miR-361 reduces mitochondrial fission and apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. MiR-361 cardiac-specific transgenic mice represent elevated mitochondrial fission and myocardial infarction sizes upon myocardial ischemia injury. This study identifies a novel signaling pathway composed of miR-361 and PHB1 that regulates mitochondrial fission program and apoptosis. This discovery will shed new light on the therapy of myocardial infarction and heart failure.

Abstract 13725: Oxidative Stress Accelerates Senescence and Reduces Life Span but Does Not Alter Cardioprotection in Mice Over-expressing H11kinase/hsp22

H11 kinase/Hsp22 (H11K) is a small heat shock protein which provides powerful cardioprotection, i.e., reduction by 80% of infarct size expressed as a fraction of area at risk following 45 min coronary occlusion/4 hr reperfusion when over-expressed in a cardiac-specific transgenic (TG) mouse model. The goal of this investigation was to determine if these protective mechanisms would also enhance longevity and be effective in protecting from age-related myocardial dysfunction. Surprisingly, TG mice showed a reduction of 48% in their mean life span as compared to wild type (WT). The mechanism of premature death was most likely cardiac as left ventricular ejection fraction was reduced in one year old TG mice (49% vs 74% in WT, p<0.01), left ventricular cavity was dilated and cardiac hypertrophy was increased by 58%, all compatible with severe dilated cardiomyopathy. At the molecular level, hearts from TG mice showed a significant increase in reactive oxygen species, oxidized/reduced glutathione ratio, NADPH and xanthine oxidase activities, Nox2 expression associated with an increase in p16, p19 mRNA, β-galactosidase positive cells and telomerase activity. Subgroups of WT and TG mice were also treated with the antioxidant tempol (100 mg/kg/d) from weaning to their sacrifice. Chronic tempol treatment abolished oxidative stress, reduced cardiac hypertrophy, extended life span (+31%) and prevented aging markers (p16, p19 mRNA, β-galactosidase positive cells) in TG mice. The marked reduction in infarct size with ischemia/reperfusion noted above, observed in 10-12 weeks old mice, remained unchanged after tempol in TG mice and was not abolished with aging. Thus, this is the first demonstration that the mechanisms mediating reduced longevity such as increased oxidative stress do not reduce cardioprotection in H11K TG mice, and conversely, the mechanisms mediating powerful cardioprotection against ischemic stress are ineffective in maintaining normal cardiac function with aging.

Cardiac troponin I Pro82Ser variant induces diastolic dysfunction, blunts β-adrenergic response, and impairs myofilament cooperativity.

Troponin I (TnI) variant Pro82Ser (cTnIP82S) was initially considered a disease-causing mutation; however, later studies suggested the contrary. We tested the hypothesis of whether a causal link exists between cTnIP82S and cardiac structural and functional remodeling, such as during aging or chronic pressure overload. A cardiac-specific transgenic (Tg) mouse model of cTnIP82S was created to test this hypothesis. During aging, Tg cTnIP82S displayed diastolic dysfunction, characterized by longer isovolumetric relaxation time, and impaired ejection and relaxation time. In young, Tg mice in vivo pressure-volume loops and intact trabecular preparations revealed normal cardiac contractility at baseline. However, upon β-adrenergic stimulation, a blunted contractile reserve and no hastening in left ventricle relaxation were evident in vivo, whereas, in isolated muscles, Ca(2+) transient amplitude isoproterenol dose-response was blunted. In addition, when exposed to chronic pressure overload, Tg mice show exacerbated hypertrophy and decreased contractility compared with age-matched non-Tg littermates. At the molecular level, this mutation significantly impairs myofilament cooperative activation. Importantly, this occurs in the absence of alterations in TnI or myosin-binding protein C phosphorylation. The cTnIP82S variant occurs near a region of interactions with troponin T; therefore, structural changes in this region could explain its meaningful effects on myofilament cooperativity. Our data indicate that cTnIP82S mutation modifies age-dependent diastolic dysfunction and impairs overall contractility after β-adrenergic stimulation or chronic pressure overload. Thus cTnIP82S variant should be regarded as a disease-modifying factor for dysfunction and adverse remodeling with aging and chronic pressure overload.

Abstract 208: Mitochondrial-targeted Grk2 Increases Superoxide Formation And Impairs Cardiomyocyte Respiratory Reserve Capacity

β-adrenergic receptors (βARs) are powerful regulators of cardiovascular function and are impaired in heart failure (HF). Signal transduction of βARs is canonically shut down by phosphorylation via G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) and the subsequent binding of β-arrestins. This process of receptor desensitization is enhanced in HF via the up-regulation of GRK2 and contributes to disease progression. We have recently reported non-canonical actions of GRK2, which contribute to the development of HF independent of βAR desensitization. We have previously shown that GRK2 can act as a pro-death kinase in cardiomyocytes bytranslocating to mitochondria and activating mitochondria permeability transition. This study was designed to gain more understanding of the mitochondrial function of GRK2. We isolated adult cardiomyocytes from cardiac-specific transgenic mice overexpressing GRK2 at levels found in human HF (TgGRK2), and examined superoxide production using the redox sensitive reporter MitoSox Red. Confocal imaging revealed a 4.6 fold increase in superoxide levels in cardiomyocytes overexpressing Grk2 as compared to non-transgenic (NLC) cardiomyocytes (corrected total cell fluorescence 11.59±1.06, TgGRK2 (n= 3 hearts, 88 cells) vs 2.54±0.02 NLC (n=3 hearts, 52 cells), (p<0.001). This indicates that the chronic elevation of GRK2 induces mitochondrial oxidative stress priming the myocyte for enhanced injury. To further explore the mitochondrial actions of GRK2 and consequences of redox stress we examined oxidative phosphorylation by performing oxygen consumption measurements in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes overexpressing GRK2 or GFP-expressing control myocytes. Seahorse analysis showed that cells overexpressing GRK2 have a significant decrease in spare respiratory capacity indicating that cells with elevated GRK2 levels have an impaired capacity to generated ATP during times of stress. Further studies with mutants that limit GRK2 kinase activity or mitochondrial localization demonstrate that mitochondrial GRK2 may be a significant contributor to cellular dysfunction as seen in heart failure.

Abstract P281: A Novel Mutation in Adiponectin Receptor 1 Contributes to Cardiac Hypertrophy and Cardiometabolic Dysregulation

Adiponectin, an adipocyte-derived cytokine, is known to influence cardiac remodeling and to suppress pathological cardiac growth and diabetes-induced disorders. Disruption of adiponectin or its receptor AdipoR1 has significant effects on cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and myocardial metabolism signal transduction. We recently identified a novel mutation in the AdipoR1 gene among 126 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients, including two family members with diabetes. Our screening identified a G>A transition at 146th position that replaced the amino acid valine (GUG) into methionine (AUG) (V146M). The consequences of this mutation on cardiac function and metabolism are not known. Here, using adenoviral gene delivery system, we found that Ad.V146M increased cell size, protein synthesis, induced expression of hypertrophic gene markers and increased serine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) compared to control Ad.βGal or wild type AdipoR1 (Ad.AR1) in cultured cardiomyocytes. We also discovered that p38 and mTOR were activated by AdipoR1 mutant, but not wild-type. Pharmacological inhibition of p38 (SB203580) and mTOR (rapamycin) reversed the Ad.V146M-induced hypertrophic responses. Adiponectin is also known to promote the uptake and oxidation of fatty acid and glucose through AR1 in cultured myocytes. Recent studies suggest that p38 acts as an essential mediator in regulating adiponectin-induced glucose uptake and fatty acid oxidation in C2C12 myocytes, and the serine phosphorylation of IRS1 at S636/639 is known to be mediated by mTOR pathway. AdipoR1 mutant significantly deceased glucose uptake, facilitated palmitate uptake and repressed insulin responses. Interestingly, inhibition of p38 and mTOR pathways significantly attenuated the effects of Ad.V146M on the expression of genes involved in lipid oxidation (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α, PPARα; carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1, CPT1) or glucose utilization (phosphofructokinase, muscle, PFK-M), respectively. Intriguingly, these findings were confirmed in vivo in cardiac-specific transgenic mice overexpressing AdipoR1 mutant. Taken together, these results suggest that a mutation in the AdipoR1 may contribute to the development of cardiomyopathy via alterations in mTOR/p38 pathways and cardiac metabolism.

Dickkopf-3 attenuates pressure overload-induced cardiac remodelling

Dickkopf-3 (DKK3), a secreted protein in the Dickkopf family, is expressed in various tissues, including the heart, and has been shown to play an important role in tissue development. However, the biological function of DKK3 in the heart remains largely unexplored. This study aimed to examine the role of DKK3 in pathological cardiac hypertrophy. We performed gain-of-function and loss-of-function studies using DKK3 cardiac-specific transgenic (TG) mice and DKK3 knockout (KO) mice (C57BL/6J background). Cardiac hypertrophy was induced by aortic banding. Cardiac hypertrophy was evaluated by echocardiographic, haemodynamic, pathological, and molecular analyses. Our results demonstrated that the loss of DKK3 exaggerated pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and dysfunction, whereas the overexpression of DKK3 protected the heart against pressure overload-induced cardiac remodelling. These beneficial effects were associated with the inhibition of the ASK1-JNK/p38 (apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1-c-Jun N-terminal kinase/p38) signalling cascade. Parallel in vitro experiments confirmed these in vivo observations. Co-immunoprecipitation experiments suggested that physical interactions occurred between DKK3 and ASK1. Moreover, rescue experiments indicated that, in DKK3 TG mice, the activation of ASK1 using a cardiac-specific conditional ASK1 transgene reduced the functionality of DKK3 in response to pressure overload; furthermore, the inactivation of ASK1 by dominant-negative ASK1 rescued pressure overload-induced cardiac abnormalities in DKK3 KO mice. Taken together, our findings indicate that DKK3 acts as a cardioprotective regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and that this function largely occurs via the regulation of ASK1-JNK/p38 signalling.

Overexpression of the Na + /K + ATPase α2 But Not α1 Isoform Attenuates Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy and Remodeling

The Na+ / K+ ATPase (NKA) directly regulates intracellular Na+ levels, which in turn indirectly regulates Ca2+ levels by proximally controlling flux through the Na+ / Ca2+ exchanger (NCX1). Elevated Na+ levels have been reported during heart failure, which permits some degree of reverse-mode Ca2+ entry through NCX1, as well as less efficient Ca2+ clearance. To determine whether maintaining lower intracellular Na+ levels by NKA overexpression in the heart would enhance forward-mode Ca2+ clearance and prevent reverse-mode Ca2+ entry through NCX1 to protect the heart. Cardiac-specific transgenic mice overexpressing either NKA-α1 or NKA-α2 were generated and subjected to pressure overload hypertrophic stimulation. We found that although increased expression of NKA-α1 had no protective effect, overexpression of NKA-α2 significantly decreased cardiac hypertrophy after pressure overload in mice at 2, 10, and 16 weeks of stimulation. Remarkably, total NKA protein expression and activity were not altered in either of these 2 transgenic models because increased expression of one isoform led to a concomitant decrease in the other endogenous isoform. NKA-α2 overexpression but not NKA-α1 led to significantly faster removal of bulk Ca2+ from the cytosol in a manner requiring NCX1 activity. Mechanistically, overexpressed NKA-α2 showed greater affinity for Na+ compared with NKA-α1, leading to more efficient clearance of this ion. Furthermore, overexpression of NKA-α2 but not NKA-α1 was coupled to a decrease in phospholemman expression and phosphorylation, which would favor greater NKA activity, NCX1 activity, and Ca2+ removal. Our results suggest that the protective effect produced by increased expression of NKA-α2 on the heart after pressure overload is due to more efficient Ca2+ clearance because this isoform of NKA preferentially enhances NCX1 activity compared with NKA-α1.