Regulator Of Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy Research Articles

TNIP3 protects against pathological cardiac hypertrophy by stabilizing STAT1

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is one of the major risk factors of heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. However, the mechanisms underlying pathological cardiac hypertrophy remain largely unknown. Here, we identified the first evidence that TNFAIP3 interacting protein 3 (TNIP3) was a negative regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy. We observed a significant upregulation of TNIP3 in mouse hearts subjected to transverse aortic constriction (TAC) surgery and in primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes stimulated by phenylephrine (PE). In Tnip3-deficient mice, cardiac hypertrophy was aggravated after TAC surgery. Conversely, cardiac-specific Tnip3 transgenic (TG) mice showed a notable reversal of the same phenotype. Accordingly, TNIP3 alleviated PE-induced cardiomyocyte enlargement in vitro. Mechanistically, RNA-sequencing and interactome analysis were combined to identify the signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) as a potential target to clarify the molecular mechanism of TNIP3 in pathological cardiac hypertrophy. Via immunoprecipitation and Glutathione S-transferase assay, we found that TNIP3 could interact with STAT1 directly and suppress its degradation by suppressing K48-type ubiquitination in response to hypertrophic stimulation. Remarkably, preservation effect of TNIP3 on cardiac hypertrophy was blocked by STAT1 inhibitor Fludaradbine or STAT1 knockdown. Our study found that TNIP3 serves as a novel suppressor of pathological cardiac hypertrophy by promoting STAT1 stability, which suggests that TNIP3 could be a promising therapeutic target of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.

Identification of circular RNAs in cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac fibrosis.

Cardiac hypertrophy initially serves as an adaptive response to physiological and pathological stimuli. Sustained hypertrophy progress to pathological cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac fibrosis and ultimately lead to heart failure, one of the leading medical causes of mortality worldwide. Intervention of pathological cardiac hypertrophy can effectively reduce the occurrence of heart failure. Abundant factors, such as adrenergic, angiotensin, and endothelin (ET-1) receptors, have been shown to participate in the regulation of pathological cardiac hypertrophy. Recently, an increasing number of studies have indicated that circRNA and circRNA-miRNA–mRNA network regulation is indispensable for the posttranscriptional regulation of mRNA in cardiac hypertrophy. In our study, the morphological, cardiac function and pathological changes during cardiac hypertrophy were investigated. RNA sequencing identified 93 circRNAs that were differentially expressed in the TAC_2w group, and 55 circRNAs in the TAC_4w group compared with the sham group. Gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses identified several significant pathways, including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction and focal adhesion. Coexpression analyses were performed for differentially expressed circRNAs and differentially expressed mRNAs. Based on gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), 8 circRNAs (mmu-Nfkb1_0001, mmu-Smad4_0007, mmu-Hecw2_0009, mmu-Itgbl1_0002, mmu-Lrrc2_0005, mmu-Cpeb3_0007, mmu-Ryr2_0040, and mmu-Rtn4_0001) involved in cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac fibrosis were identified. We validated some key circRNAs by qPCR. The crucial coexpression of circRNA–mRNA and its interaction with miRNA showed the possible mechanism of circRNAs in the process of cardiac dysfunction. Our results may provide promising targets for the treatment of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis.

ANGPTL8 is a negative regulator in pathological cardiac hypertrophy

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is an independent risk factor for heart failure and is considered a target for the treatment of heart failure. However, the mechanisms underlying pathological cardiac hypertrophy remain largely unknown. We aimed to investigate the role of angiopoietin-like protein 8 (ANGPTL8) in pathological cardiac hypertrophy. We found that serum ANGPTL8 levels were significantly increased in hypertensive patients with cardiac hypertrophy and in mice with cardiac hypertrophy induced by Ang II or TAC. Furthermore, the secretion of ANGPTL8 from the liver was increased during hypertrophic processes, which were triggered by Ang II. In the Ang II- and transverse aortic constriction (TAC)-induced mouse cardiac hypertrophy model, ANGPTL8 deficiency remarkably accelerated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis with deteriorating cardiac dysfunction. Accordingly, both recombinant human full-length ANGPTL8 (rANGPTL8) protein and ANGPTL8 overexpression significantly mitigated Ang II-induced cell enlargement in primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) and H9c2 cells. Mechanistically, the antihypertrophic effects of ANGPTL8 depended on inhibiting Akt and GSK-3β activation, and the Akt activator SC-79 abolished the antihypertrophic effects of rANGPTL8 in vitro. Moreover, we demonstrated that ANGPTL8 directly bound to the paired Ig-like receptor PIRB (LILRB3) by RNA-seq and immunoprecipitation-mass screening. Remarkably, the antihypertrophic effects of ANGPTL8 were largely blocked by anti-LILRB3 and siRNA-LILRB3. Our study indicated that ANGPTL8 served as a novel negative regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy by binding to LILRB3 (PIRB) and inhibiting Akt/GSK3β activation, suggesting that ANGPTL8 may provide synergistic effects in combination with AT1 blockers and become a therapeutic target for cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.

GCN5-mediated regulation of pathological cardiac hypertrophy via activation of the TAK1-JNK/p38 signaling pathway

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is a process of abnormal remodeling of cardiomyocytes in response to pressure overload or other stress stimuli, resulting in myocardial injury, which is a major risk factor for heart failure, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. General control nonrepressed protein 5 (GCN5)/lysine acetyltransferase 2 A, a member of the histone acetyltransferase and lysine acetyltransferase families, regulates a variety of physiological and pathological events. However, the function of GCN5 in pathological cardiac hypertrophy remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the role of GCN5 in the development of pathological cardiac hypertrophy. GCN5 expression was increased in isolated neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) and mouse hearts of a hypertrophic mouse model. GCN5 overexpression aggravated the cardiac hypertrophy triggered by transverse aortic constriction surgery. In contrast, inhibition of GCN5 impairs the development of pathological cardiac hypertrophy. Similar results were obtained upon stimulation of NRCMs (having GCN5 overexpressed or knocked down) with phenylephrine. Mechanistically, our results indicate that GCN5 exacerbates cardiac hypertrophy via excessive activation of the transforming growth factor β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1)-c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK)/p38 signaling pathway. Using a TAK1-specific inhibitor in rescue experiments confirmed that the activation of TAK1 is essential for GCN5-mediated cardiac hypertrophy. In summary, the current study elucidated the role of GCN5 in promotion of cardiac hypertrophy, thereby implying it to be a potential target for treatment.

Targeting mAKAPβ expression as a therapeutic approach for ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Ischemic cardiomyopathy is a leading cause of death and an unmet clinical need. Adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene-based therapies hold great promise for treating and preventing heart failure. Previously we showed that muscle A-kinase Anchoring Protein β (mAKAPβ, AKAP6β), a scaffold protein that organizes perinuclear signalosomes in the cardiomyocyte, is a critical regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy. Here, we show that inhibition of mAKAPβ expression in stressed adult cardiomyocytes in vitro was cardioprotective, while conditional cardiomyocyte-specific mAKAP gene deletion in mice prevented pathological cardiac remodeling due to myocardial infarction. We developed a new self-complementary serotype 9 AAV gene therapy vector expressing a short hairpin RNA for mAKAPβ under the control of a cardiomyocyte-specific promoter (AAV9sc.shmAKAP). This vector efficiently downregulated mAKAPβ expression in the mouse heart in vivo. Expression of the shRNA also inhibited mAKAPβ expression in human induced cardiomyocytes in vitro. Following myocardial infarction, systemic administration of AAV9sc.shmAKAP prevented the development of pathological cardiac remodeling and heart failure, providing long-term restoration of left ventricular ejection fraction. Our findings provide proof-of-concept for mAKAPβ as a therapeutic target for ischemic cardiomyopathy and support the development of a translational pipeline for AAV9sc.shmAKAP for the treatment of heart failure.

Lysosomal-Associated Protein Transmembrane 5 Functions as a Novel Negative Regulator of Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy.

Lysosomal-associated protein transmembrane 5 (LAPTM5) is mainly expressed in immune cells and has been reported to regulate inflammation, apoptosis and autophagy. Although LAPTM5 is expressed in the heart, whether LAPTM5 plays a role in regulating cardiac function remains unknown. Here, we show that the expression of LAPTM5 is dramatically decreased in murine hypertrophic hearts and isolated hypertrophic cardiomyocytes. In this study, we investigated the role of LAPTM5 in pathological cardiac hypertrophy and its possible mechanism. Our results show that LAPTM5 gene deletion significantly exacerbates cardiac remodeling, which can be demonstrated by reduced myocardial hypertrophy, fibrosis, ventricular dilation and preserved ejection function, whereas the opposite phenotype was observed in LAPTM5 overexpression mice. In line with the in vivo results, knockdown of LAPTM5 exaggerated angiotensin II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in neonatal rat ventricular myocytes, whereas overexpression of LAPTM5 protected against angiotensin II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in vitro. Mechanistically, LAPTM5 directly bound to Rac1 and further inhibited MEK-ERK1/2 signaling, which ultimately regulated the development of cardiac hypertrophy. In addition, the antihypertrophic effect of LAPTM5 was largely blocked by constitutively active mutant Rac1 (G12V). In conclusion, our results suggest that LAPTM5 is involved in pathological cardiac hypertrophy and that targeting LAPTM5 has great therapeutic potential in the treatment of pathological cardiac hypertrophy.

Divergent and Overlapping Roles for Selected Phytochemicals in the Regulation of Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy.

Plant-based foods, like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and other foodstuffs, have been deemed as heart healthy. The chemicals within these plant-based foods, i.e., phytochemicals, are credited with protecting the heart. However, the mechanistic actions of phytochemicals, which prevent clinical endpoints, such as pathological cardiac hypertrophy, are still being elucidated. We sought to characterize the overlapping and divergent mechanisms by which 18 selected phytochemicals prevent phenylephrine- and phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-mediated cardiomyocyte enlargement. Of the tested 18 compounds, six attenuated PE- and PMA-mediated enlargement of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes. Cell viability assays showed that apigenin, baicalein, berberine hydrochloride, emodin, luteolin and quercetin dihydrate did not reduce cell size through cytotoxicity. Four of the six phytochemicals, apigenin, baicalein, berberine hydrochloride and emodin, robustly inhibited stress-induced hypertrophy and were analyzed further against intracellular signaling and genome-wide changes in mRNA expression. The four phytochemicals differentially regulated mitogen-activated protein kinases and protein kinase D. RNA-sequencing further showed divergence in gene regulation, while pathway analysis demonstrated overlap in the regulation of inflammatory pathways. Combined, this study provided a comprehensive analysis of cardioprotective phytochemicals. These data highlight two defining observations: (1) that these compounds predominantly target divergent gene pathways within cardiac myocytes and (2) that regulation of overlapping signaling and gene pathways may be of particular importance for the anti-hypertrophic actions of these phytochemicals. Despite these new findings, future works investigating rodent models of heart failure are still needed to understand the roles for these compounds in the heart.

FBXW5 acts as a negative regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy by decreasing the TAK1 signaling to pro-hypertrophic members of the MAPK signaling pathway

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is a crucial cause of cardiac morbidity and mortality worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms of this disease remain incompletely understood. As a member of E3 ubiquitin ligases, F-box/WD repeat-containing protein 5 (FBXW5) has been implicated in various pathophysiological processes. However, the role of FBXW5 in pathological cardiac hypertrophy remains largely unknown. In this study, decreased expression of FBXW5 was observed in both neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and mouse hearts with hypertrophic remodeling. Gain- and loss-of-function experiments were performed to study the potential function of FBXW5 in pathological cardiac hypertrophy. The in vitro results showed that FBXW5 had a protective effect against cardiac hypertrophy induced by phenylephrine (PE). FBXW5 knockout mice and mice with AAV9-mediated FBXW5 overexpression were generated. Consistent with the in vitro results, FBXW5 deficiency aggravated cardiac hypertrophy induced by pressure overload. FBXW5 overexpression protected mice from hypertrophic stimuli. Remarkably, FBXW5 ameliorated pathological cardiac hypertrophy by directly interacting with the protein transforming growth factor-beta-activated kinase 1 (TAK1) and blocking the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. Furthermore, inhibition of TAK1 prevented the effects of FBXW5 on agonist- or pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy. These findings imply that FBXW5 is an essential negative regulator and may be a potential therapeutic target for pathological cardiac hypertrophy.

KR-39038, a Novel GRK5 Inhibitor, Attenuates Cardiac Hypertrophy and Improves Cardiac Function in Heart Failure.

G protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 (GRK5) has been considered as a potential target for the treatment of heart failure as it has been reported to be an important regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy. To discover novel scaffolds that selectively inhibit GRK5, we have identified a novel small molecule inhibitor of GRK5, KR-39038 [7-((3-((4-((3-aminopropyl)amino)butyl)amino)propyl)amino)-2-(2-chlorophenyl)-6-fluoroquinazolin-4(3H)-one]. KR-39038 exhibited potent inhibitory activity (IC50 value=0.02 µM) against GRK5 and significantly inhibited angiotensin II-induced cellular hypertrophy and HDAC5 phosphorylation in neonatal cardiomyocytes. In the pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy mouse model, the daily oral administration of KR-39038 (30 mg/kg) for 14 days showed a 43% reduction in the left ventricular weight. Besides, KR-39038 treatment (10 and 30 mg/kg/day, p.o.) showed significant preservation of cardiac function and attenuation of myocardial remodeling in a rat model of chronic heart failure following coronary artery ligation. These results suggest that potent GRK5 inhibitor could effectively attenuate both cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction in experimental heart failure, and KR-39038 may be useful as an effective GRK5 inhibitor for pharmaceutical applications.

STEAP3 (Six-Transmembrane Epithelial Antigen of Prostate 3) Inhibits Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy.

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy is one of the major predictors and inducers of heart failure, the end stage of various cardiovascular diseases. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying pathogenesis of pathological cardiac hypertrophy remain largely unknown. Here, we provided the first evidence that STEAP3 (Six-Transmembrane Epithelial Antigen of Prostate 3) is a key negative regulator of this disease. We found that the expression of STEAP3 was reduced in pressure overload-induced hypertrophic hearts and phenylephrine-induced hypertrophic cardiomyocytes. In a transverse aortic constriction-triggered mouse cardiac hypertrophy model, STEAP3 deficiency remarkably deteriorated cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, whereas the opposite phenotype was observed in the cardiomyocyte-specific STEAP3 overexpressing mice. Accordingly, STEAP3 significantly mitigated phenylephrine-induced cell enlargement in primary neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Mechanistically, via RNA-seq and immunoprecipitation-mass screening, we demonstrated that STEAP3 directly bond to Rho family small GTPase 1 and suppressed the activation of downstream mitogen-activated protein kinase-extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling cascade. Remarkably, the antihypertrophic effect of STEAP3 was largely blocked by overexpression of constitutively active mutant Rac1 (G12V). Our study indicates that STEAP3 serves as a novel negative regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy by blocking the activation of the Rac1-dependent signaling cascade and may contribute to exploring effective therapeutic strategies of pathological cardiac hypertrophy treatment.

Novel Role for Pleckstrin Homology-Like Domain Family A, Member 3 in the Regulation of Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy.

BackgroundPleckstrin homology‐like domain family A, member 3 (PHLDA3), a crucial member of the PHLDA family, is involved in tumor suppression, kidney injury, liver injury, and glucose metabolism. However, the role of PHLDA3 in pathological cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure remains unclear.Methods and ResultsIn the present study, PHLDA3 expression was downregulated in hypertrophic murine hearts and angiotensin II‐treated cardiomyocytes. Next, an in vitro study suggested, by using gain‐ and loss‐of‐function approaches, that PHLDA3 attenuates Ang II exposure‐induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Consistent with the cell phenotype, disruption of PHLDA3 aggravated the effects of pressure overload‐induced pathological cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and dysfunction. In contrast, PHLDA3 overexpression resulted in an attenuated hypertrophic phenotype. Molecular analysis revealed that PHLDA3 suppressed the activation of AKT‐mTOR‐GSK3β‐P70S6K signaling in response to hypertrophic stress, and the blockage of AKT activation rescued these adverse pathological effects of PHLDA3 deficiency‐induced by AB and Ang II, respectively, in vivo and in vitro.ConclusionsCollectively, our data indicated that PHLDA3 could ameliorate pressure overload‐induced cardiac remodeling mainly by blocking the AKT signaling pathway, suggesting that PHLDA3 may represent a therapeutic target for the treatment of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure.

MiR-29a promotes pathological cardiac hypertrophy by targeting the PTEN/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway and suppressing autophagy.

Although miR-29 has emerged as a crucial non-coding RNA in the regulation of pathological cardiac hypertrophy, further exploration of its specific mechanisms is necessary to resolve controversy about its major role in this condition. This study therefore evaluated the role of miR-29a and whether it acts through the PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway. In this study, a rat model of pressure-induced cardiac hypertrophy was established by transverse aortic constriction and verified by echocardiography, histological analysis and quantitative RT-PCR. At the cellular level, we explored the role of miR-29a in angiotensin II-stimulated hypertrophic H9c2 cardiomyoblasts by transfecting the cells with miR-29a inhibitor and mimic. The relationship between miR-29a and the signalling pathway was investigated with dual luciferase reporter assays, immunofluorescence analysis and Western blotting. We also examined whether autophagy is involved in the regulatory mechanism of miR-29a through transmission electron microscopy and detection of autophagy-associated proteins. The results showed that miR-29a was upregulated both in rats 4weeks after surgery and in 10-6 M angiotensin II-stimulated cells. In contrast, inhibition of miR-29a partially attenuated angiotensin II-induced hypertrophy. Additionally, bioinformatics analysis revealed that PTEN was one of the target genes of miR-29a, which was also verified by luciferase assay. The results of immunofluorescence and Western blotting indicated that overexpression of miR-29a inhibited the expression of PTEN, activated the AKT/mTOR pathway and suppressed autophagy, which ultimately led to cardiac hypertrophy. In pathological cardiac hypertrophy, miR-29a was overexpressed and promoted cardiac hypertrophy by regulating the PTEN/AKT/mTOR pathway and suppressing autophagy.

Lin28a Regulates Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophic Growth through Pck2‐mediated Enhancement of Anabolic Synthesis

During pathological hypertrophy, the heart undergoes extensive metabolic changes prior to the onset of structural remodeling, yet, it remains largely unexplored whether and how this metabolic remodeling could contribute to cardiac hypertrophic growth. Here, we identified the RNA‐binding protein Lin28a as a critical regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and metabolic re‐patterning. Cardiac‐specific deletion of Lin28a attenuated pressure overload‐induced hypertrophic growth, cardiac dysfunction and alterations in cardiac transcriptome. Mechanistically, Lin28a directly bound to mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 2 (Pck2) mRNA and positively modulated its level. Manipulation of Pck2 expression phenocopied hypertrophic growth phenotypes of manipulating Lin28a expression. Epistatic analysis demonstrated that Pck2 mediated, at least in part, the role of Lin28a in cardiac hypertrophic growth. Furthermore, metabolomic analyses highlighted role for Lin28a and Pck2 in promoting cardiac anabolic biosynthesis required for cell growth. Thus, our study revealed a critical role of Lin28a in the regulation of pathological cardiac hypertrophic growth through Pck2‐mediated regulation of cardiac metabolism.Support or Funding InformationThis study was supported by AHA 13SDG17060010, Ellison Medical Foundation (EMF) AGNS‐13 1064‐, and NIH/NHLBI R01HL128331 to L.Q., NIH/NHLBI R00 HL109079, R56HL133081, and American Heart Association (AHA) 15GRNT25530005 to J.L.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Calcineurin-AKAP interactions: therapeutic targeting of a pleiotropic enzyme with a little help from its friends.

The ubiquitous Ca2+ /calmodulin-dependent phosphatase calcineurin is a key regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy whose therapeutic targeting in heart disease has been elusive due to its role in other essential biological processes. Calcineurin is targeted to diverse intracellular compartments by association with scaffold proteins, including by multivalent A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs) that bind protein kinase A and other important signalling enzymes determining cardiac myocyte function and phenotype. Calcineurin anchoring by AKAPs confers specificity to calcineurin function in the cardiac myocyte. Targeting of calcineurin 'signalosomes' may provide a rationale for inhibiting the phosphatase in disease.

Abstract 415: Lin28a Regulates Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophic Growth Through Pck2-mediated Enhancement of Anabolic Synthesis

During pathological hypertrophy, the heart undergoes extensive metabolic changes prior to the onset of structural remodeling, yet, it remains unknown whether and how this metabolic remodeling could contribute to cardiac hypertrophic growth. Here, we identified the RNA-binding protein Lin28a as a critical regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and metabolic re-patterning. Cardiac specific deletion of Lin28a attenuated pressure overload-induced hypertrophy and cardiac dysfunction. Transcriptomics and metabolomic analysis highlighted roles for Lin28a in promoting cardiac glycolysis and anabolic biosynthesis. Mechanistically, Lin28a directly bound to mitochondrial phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 2 ( Pck2 ) mRNA and positively modulated its transcript level. By utilizing the neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) hypertrophy model, we found that manipulation of Pck2 expression phenocopied the metabolic and hypertrophic phenotypes of manipulating Lin28a expression. Furthermore, epistatic analyses demonstrated that overexpression of Pck2 reversed the attenuation of norepinephrine-induced enhancement of cardiac glycolysis and cardiac hypertrophy by loss of Lin28a function, and knockdown of Pck2 suppressed Lin28a-induced increase in cardiac glycolysis and cardiomyocyte hypertrophic growth. Thus, our study revealed a critical role of Lin28a in the regulation of pathological cardiac hypertrophic growth through Pck2-mediated regulation of cardiac metabolism.

Abstract 298: Irisin is an Endogenous Negative Regulator of Pathological Cardiac Hypertrophy

Cardiac hypertrophy is a common pathophysiological process in various cardiovascular disease which still has no effective therapies. Irisin is a novel myokine mainly secreted by skeletal muscle which is involved in the regulation of energy metabolism. However, its role in cardiac hypertrophy is still unclear. In the present study, we found that serum irisin concentration is significantly elevated in patients with hypertension. Moreover, irisin concentration has strong correlation with left ventricular posterior wall thickness(LVPWT) and intraventricular septal thickness (IVST) which are two major parameters to measure left ventricular hypertrophy. The above results suggested that irisin may be involved in the regulation of pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Hence, we further generated transverse aortic constriction-induced cardiac hypertrophy murine model. We found that irisin expression in heart and serum were both elevated in hypertrophic murine hearts. The in vitro study also indicated the angiotensin II treated cardiomyocytes have a higher level of irisin concentration. These data indicated that cardiomyocyte can secret irisin and the irisin concentration is elevated after hypertrophic stimuli. Furthermore, we demonstrated that cardiac hypertrophy was significantly attenuated with improved cardiac function assessed by echocardiography after irisin administration. HE and PSR staining also showed decreased cardiomyocytes size and fibrosis. Mechanistically, we demonstrated that cardiomyocytes treated with ADAM family inhibitor (TAP-2) has a lower irisin level while the expression of irisin precursor (FNDC5) has no obvious alteration. These data implied that FNDC5 was cleaved into irisin, at least partially, in a ADAM family dependent manner. Further we found that irisin administration activates AMPK and subsequently inhibited activation of mTOR. In conclusion, we demonstrated that cardiomyocytes secret irisin in a ADAM family dependent manner, administration of irisin attenuated pressure overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, improved cardiac function by AMPK-mTOR signaling.

A gene therapeutic approach to inhibit calcium and integrin binding protein 1 ameliorates maladaptive remodelling in pressure overload.

Chronic heart failure is becoming increasingly prevalent and is still associated with a high mortality rate. Myocardial hypertrophy and fibrosis drive cardiac remodelling and heart failure, but they are not sufficiently inhibited by current treatment strategies. Furthermore, despite increasing knowledge on cardiomyocyte intracellular signalling proteins inducing pathological hypertrophy, therapeutic approaches to target these molecules are currently unavailable. In this study, we aimed to establish and test a therapeutic tool to counteract the 22 kDa calcium and integrin binding protein (CIB) 1, which we have previously identified as nodal regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and as activator of the maladaptive calcineurin/NFAT axis. Among three different sequences, we selected a shRNA construct (shCIB1) to specifically down-regulate CIB1 by 50% upon adenoviral overexpression in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCM), and upon overexpression by an adeno-associated-virus (AAV) 9 vector in mouse hearts. Overexpression of shCIB1 in NRCM markedly reduced cellular growth, improved contractility of bioartificial cardiac tissue and reduced calcineurin/NFAT activation in response to hypertrophic stimulation. In mice, administration of AAV-shCIB1 strongly ameliorated eccentric cardiac hypertrophy and cardiac dysfunction during 2 weeks of pressure overload by transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Ultrastructural and molecular analyses revealed markedly reduced myocardial fibrosis, inhibition of hypertrophy associated gene expression and calcineurin/NFAT as well as ERK MAP kinase activation after TAC in AAV-shCIB1 vs. AAV-shControl treated mice. During long-term exposure to pressure overload for 10 weeks, AAV-shCIB1 treatment maintained its anti-hypertrophic and anti-fibrotic effects, but cardiac function was no longer improved vs. AAV-shControl treatment, most likely resulting from a reduction in myocardial angiogenesis upon downregulation of CIB1. Inhibition of CIB1 by a shRNA-mediated gene therapy potently inhibits pathological cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis during pressure overload. While cardiac function is initially improved by shCIB1, this cannot be kept up during persisting overload.

CDC20 regulates cardiac hypertrophy via targeting LC3-dependent autophagy.

Rationale: Sustained cardiac hypertrophy often leads to heart failure (HF). Understanding the regulation of cardiomyocyte growth is crucial for the treatment of adverse ventricular remodeling and HF. Cell division cycle 20 (CDC20) is an anaphase-promoting complex activator that is essential for cell division and tumorigenesis, but the role of CDC20 in cardiac hypertrophy is unknown. We aimed to test whether CDC20 participates in the regulation of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and investigate the underlying mechanism in vitro and in vivo.Methods: Male C57BL/6 mice were administered a recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (rAAV9) vector expressing CDC20 or a siRNA targeting CDC20 and their respective controls by tail intravenous injection.Results: Microarray analysis showed that CDC20 was significantly upregulated in the heart after angiotensin II infusion. Knockdown of CDC20 in cardiomyocytes and in the heart reduced cardiac hypertrophy upon agonist stimulation or transverse aortic constriction (TAC). Conversely, enforced expression of CDC20 in cardiomyocytes and in the heart aggravated the hypertrophic response. Furthermore, we found that CDC20 directly targeted LC3, a key regulator of autophagy, and promoted LC3 ubiquitination and degradation by the proteasome, which inhibited autophagy leading to hypertrophy. Moreover, knockdown of LC3 or inhibition of autophagy attenuated Ang II-induced cardiomyocyte hypertrophy after deletion of CDC20 in vitro.Conclusions: Our study reveals a novel cardiac hypertrophy regulatory mechanism that involves CDC20, LC3 and autophagy, and suggests that CDC20 could be a new therapeutic target for patients with hypertrophic heart diseases.

Herpud1 negatively regulates pathological cardiac hypertrophy by inducing IP3 receptor degradation

Cardiac hypertrophy is an adaptive response triggered by pathological stimuli. Regulation of the synthesis and the degradation of the Ca2+ channel inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) affects progression to cardiac hypertrophy. Herpud1, a component of the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) complex, participates in IP3R1 degradation and Ca2+ signaling, but the cardiac function of Herpud1 remains unknown. We hypothesize that Herpud1 acts as a negative regulator of cardiac hypertrophy by regulating IP3R protein levels. Our results show that Herpud1-knockout mice exhibit cardiac hypertrophy and dysfunction and that decreased Herpud1 protein levels lead to elevated levels of hypertrophic markers in cultured rat cardiomyocytes. In addition, IP3R levels were elevated both in Herpud1-knockout mice and Herpud1 siRNA-treated rat cardiomyocytes. The latter treatment also led to elevated cytosolic and nuclear Ca2+ levels. In summary, the absence of Herpud1 generates a pathological hypertrophic phenotype by regulating IP3R protein levels. Herpud1 is a novel negative regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy.

Restoration of Circulating MFGE8 (Milk Fat Globule-EGF Factor 8) Attenuates Cardiac Hypertrophy Through Inhibition of Akt Pathway.

Cardiac hypertrophy occurs in response to numerous stimuli like neurohumoral stress, pressure overload, infection, and injury, and leads to heart failure. Mfge8 (milk fat globule-EGF factor 8) is a secreted protein involved in various human diseases, but its regulation and function during cardiac hypertrophy remain unexplored. Here, we found that circulating MFGE8 levels declined significantly in failing hearts from patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Correlation analyses revealed that circulating MFGE8 levels were negatively correlated with the severity of cardiac dysfunction and remodeling in affected patients. Deleting Mfge8 in mice maintained normal heart function at basal level but substantially exacerbated the hypertrophic enlargement of cardiomyocytes, reprogramming of pathological genes, contractile dysfunction, and myocardial fibrosis after aortic banding surgery. In contrast, cardiac-specific Mfge8 overexpression in transgenic mice significantly blunted aortic banding-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Whereas MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathways were unaffected in either Mfge8-knockout or Mfge8-overexpressing mice, the activated Akt/PKB (protein kinase B)-Gsk-3β (glycogen synthase kinase-3β)/mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway after aortic banding was significantly potentiated by Mfge8 deficiency but suppressed by Mfge8 overexpression. Inhibition of Akt with MK-2206 blocked the prohypertrophic effects of Mfge8 deficiency in angiotensin II-treated neonatal rat cardiomyocytes. Finally, administering a recombinant human MFGE8 in mice in vivo alleviated cardiac hypertrophy induced by aortic banding. Our findings indicate that Mfge8 is an endogenous negative regulator of pathological cardiac hypertrophy and may, thus, have potential both as a novel biomarker and as a therapeutic target for treatment of cardiac hypertrophy.