Regulation of cardiac gene expression during myocardial growth and hypertrophy: molecular studies of an adaptive physiologic response

Cellular adaptations of the myocardium to chronic exercise

The heart responds positively to programs of chronic dynamic exercise. Hallmark adaptations of the heart include a training bradycardia, increases in end-diastolic dimension and maximal stroke volume, and a general improvement in ventricular performance and contractile function. Of considerable clinical significance are the general observations that chronic exercise renders the myocardium less susceptible to the deleterious effects of acute ischemic episodes and can effectively prevent and/or reverse many of the cardiac functional deficits that are known to occur in settings of chronic hypertension, advanced age, and myocardial infarction. In the text that follows, information gathered over the last 25 to 30 years has been reviewed in an attempt to identify cellular myocardial adaptations, both known and hypothetical, that are responsible for the observed effects of chronic dynamic exercise on the function and morphology of the heart in both normal and selected pathophysiologic settings. Finally, a variety of unresolved issues regarding the ability of chronic exercise to elicit adaptive cardiocyte responses has been identified. In so doing, it is hoped that creative thought and future work in the area will be stimulated.

M1 muscarinic receptors heterologously expressed in cardiac myocytes mediate Ras-dependent changes in gene expression

Stimulation of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in neonatal ventricular cardiomyocytes induces hypertrophic changes including activation of the atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) gene. This receptor couples to Gq to activate phospholipase C (PLC) and protein kinase C, which have been implicated as mediators of the hypertrophic response. To directly determine whether receptor coupling to Gq/PLC is sufficient to induce ANF expression, we expressed wild-type and chimeric muscarinic cholinergic receptors (mAChRs) with altered G-protein coupling properties in cardiac myocytes and examined their ability to activate an ANF promoter/luciferase reporter gene. The cholinergic agonist carbachol failed to induce transcriptional activation of the ANF reporter gene through endogenous Gi-linked M2mAChRs or in cells transfected with M2mAChRs. In contrast, in cells transfected with M1mAChRs, which effectively couple to Gq/PLC, carbachol increased ANF reporter gene expression 10-fold and also increased ANF protein, as determined by immunofluorescence. Carbachol-mediated ANF gene expression was inhibited by the mAChR antagonist pirenzepine with a Ki value characteristic of an M1mAChR. Studies using chimeric M1- and M2mAChRs demonstrated that the N-terminal 21 amino acids of the third intracellular loop of the M1mAChR were required for receptor coupling to ANF gene expression. This region, previously shown to specify receptor coupling to Gq/PLC, also conferred partial activity to a chimeric M2 receptor. We further demonstrated that M1mAChR coupling to ANF gene expression was Ras-dependent since co-expression of dominant-interfering Ala-15 Ras inhibited M1mAChR-induced ANF expression by 60%. In contrast, ANF expression induced by the chimeric M2 receptor was not blocked by dominant-interfering Ras. We suggest that receptor coupling to Gq/PLC is sufficient to induce ANF expression and that a Ras-dependent pathway contributes additional signals required for maximal M1mAChR-mediated ANF gene expression.

Fra-1, a Fos gene family member that activates atrial natriuretic peptide gene transcription

Previous studies suggested that individual components of the activator protein 1 (AP-1) complex behave in a highly idiosyncratic fashion at the level of the human atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) gene promoter. ANP gene transcription is activated by c-jun and is generally suppressed by c-fos. In the present study, fra-1, a close relative of the c-fos gene product in terms of its structure and functional activity, behaved like fos in cardiac atriocytes, effecting an approximately 50% reduction in c-jun-activatable expression of a human ANP chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter. In cardiac ventriculocytes, however, fra-1 effected a synergistic amplification of the c-jun response (a 2.5-fold increase over c-jun alone). In atrial cells, fos-like proteins were not uniformly inhibitory in that a carboxy terminal deletion mutant of c-fos activated a human ANP-CAT reporter in the atriocyte cultures. Finally, using a series of domain-swap mutations in the fos/fra structural sequences, we showed that sequences at both the amino and the carboxy termini are required to realize the full fra-1-dependent stimulatory effect as well as the c-fos-dependent inhibition of ANP gene transcription. These findings suggest considerable heterogeneity in the response of the ANP promoter to different components of the AP-1 complex. Such heterogeneity may serve to broaden the range of biological responses available to this promoter as the cardiac cell attempts to adapt to perturbations in the extracellular environment.

Inhibition of the spontaneous rate of contraction of neonatal cardiac myocytes by protein kinase C isozymes. A putative role for the epsilon isozyme

Protein kinase C (PKC) enzymes regulate numerous cardiac functions. In the present study, we determined the effects of the PKC-activating drug 4-beta phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (4-beta PMA) on the rate of contraction and correlated these changes with the distribution and levels of alpha-, beta-, delta-, epsilon-, and zeta-PKC isozymes by using neonatal rat cardiac myocytes in culture. Treatment with 0.3 to 100 nmol/L 4-beta PMA caused negative chronotropic effects on contraction. This effect was maximal at a concentration of 3 nmol/L 4-beta PMA and correlated with redistribution of the alpha- and epsilon-PKC isozymes from the cytosolic to the particulate cell fraction. After a 1-hour treatment with 100 nmol/L PMA, the alpha- and beta-PKC isozymes and an 80-kD zeta-like PKC isozyme were greatly diminished (downregulated), yet the negative chronotropic effect was sustained. Therefore, our results are most consistent with a role for the epsilon-PKC isozyme in suppressing the contraction rate of neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. Understanding the role(s) of individual PKC isozymes in the modulation of cardiac functions may ultimately yield more selective targets for therapies of cardiac disorders.

Combined captopril and isosorbide dinitrate during healing after myocardial infarction. Effect on ventricular remodeling, function, mass and collagen

OBJECTIVES

We sought to compare the effects of captopril plus isosorbide dinitrate versus monotherapy on infarct collagen content and left ventricular remodeling and function during healing after myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND

Captopril or isosorbide dinitrate monotherapy can limit postinfarction dilation. Whether captopril inhibits infarct collagen content, or whether captopril plus isosorbide dinitrate might be more beneficial, is not known.

METHODS

In vivo remodeling variables and function (echocardiography), hemodynamic variables, postmortem topography (planimetry) and collagen content (hydroxyproline) were measured in 48 chronically instrumented dogs that were randomized 2 days after left anterior descending coronary artery ligation to 6 weeks of therapy with captopril, isosorbide dinitrate, captopril plus isosorbide dinitrate or placebo.

RESULTS

Compared with placebo, the three active therapies decreased blood pressure and left atrial pressure; limited infarct expansion, infarct thinning, noninfarct wall stretching and thickening; limited left ventricular dilation and increase in left ventricular mass; and decreased regional bulging, aneurysm frequency and left ventricular dysfunction. However, the decrease in asynergy and increase in volume ejection fraction were less with captopril or captopril plus isosorbide dinitrate than with isosorbide dinitrate. Infarct thinning and bulging at 6 weeks was also less with isosorbide dinitrate than with captopril. Although initial left ventricular asynergy, final scar sizes and noninfarct collagen content at 6 weeks were similar among the groups, collagen in the center of the infarct scar was less with captopril or captopril plus isosorbide dinitrate than with placebo or isosorbide dinitrate.

CONCLUSIONS

Monotherapy with captopril or isosorbide dinitrate, or their combination, improved all remodeling variables, but isosorbide dinitrate improved function more than captopril or captopril plus isosorbide dinitrate. Inhibition of infarct collagen content by captopril suggests that benefits with captopril represent a balance between positive and negative effects, and its combination with isosorbide dinitrate might be advantageous.

Angiotensin II-induced growth responses in isolated adult rat hearts. Evidence for load-independent induction of cardiac protein synthesis by angiotensin II

Cardiac myocyte hypertrophy often occurs in response to both hemodynamic and neurohumoral factors. To study whether activation of the renin-angiotensin system by itself may induce a cardiac growth response, the acute effects of angiotensin II on cardiac protein synthesis were studied in isolated rat hearts. New protein synthesis in isolated buffer-perfused adult rat hearts was measured by incorporation of [3H]phenylalanine into cardiac proteins during a 3-hour perfusion protocol. Angiotensin II (1 x 10(-8) mol/L), administered alone or in combination with the alpha 1-blocker prazosin (1 x 10(-7) mol/L), stimulated protein synthesis in both ventricles. The rate of [3H]phenylalanine incorporation into cardiac proteins was 3.9-fold (P < .005) and 2.6-fold (P < .01) higher in angiotensin II-perfused (n = 6) than in vehicle-perfused (n = 6) left and right ventricles, respectively. The induction of new protein synthesis by angiotensin II was blocked by the angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonist losartan (1 x 10(-7) mol/L, n = 5). To study the pathways of angiotensin signal transduction, protein kinase C (PKC)-epsilon as well as cardiac c-fos and c-jun mRNA levels were analyzed. Angiotensin II (1 x 10(-8) mol/L, n = 20) resulted in a transient translocation of PKC-epsilon from the cytosol to the cellular membrane. However, compared with phorbol ester stimulation (phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate [PMA], 1 x 10(-7) mol/L; n = 20), angiotensin II effects on PKC translocation were significantly less pronounced and required a more prolonged stimulation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Expression cloning of cardiotrophin 1, a cytokine that induces cardiac myocyte hypertrophy

Heart failure continues to be a leading cause of mortality worldwide. A hallmark of this disease is dilated cardiac hypertrophy, which is accompanied by a reactivation of genes expressed in fetal heart development. Reasoning that fetal or embryonic growth factors may mediate the onset of cardiac hypertrophy, we have coupled expression cloning with an embryonic stem cell-based model of cardiogenesis to isolate a 21.5-kDa protein, cardiotrophin 1, that potently induces cardiac myocyte hypertrophy in vitro. Amino acid similarity data indicate that cardiotrophin 1 is a member of the leukemia inhibitory factor/ciliary neurotrophic factor/oncostatin M/interleukin 6/interleukin 11 family of cytokines. Several members of this family that are known to signal through the transmembrane protein gp130 stimulate cardiac myocyte hypertrophy, like cardiotrophin 1, suggesting that the gp130 signaling pathway may play a role in cardiac hypertrophy. A 1.4-kb cardiotrophin 1 mRNA is expressed in the heart and several other mouse tissues.

Effect of enalapril on ventricular remodeling and function during healing after anterior myocardial infarction in the dog

BACKGROUND

Ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction involves changes in ventricular size, shape, structure, and matrix that impact on function. Prolonged angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition after infarction with captopril reduces ventricular enlargement and improves clinical outcome, but whether enalapril produces similar benefits is controversial.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The effect of enalapril during healing between 1 day and 6 weeks after myocardial infarction on in vivo changes in ventricular size, shape, mass, and function (asynergy, or akinesis and dyskinesis, and ejection fraction), as determined by serial two-dimensional echocardiography, hemodynamics, postmortem topography (planimetered short- and long-axis ventricular contours), and collagen content (determined by levels of hydroxyproline, a marker for collagen), was measured in 25 instrumented dogs. The dogs were randomized 1 day after left anterior descending coronary artery ligation to a control group (no treatment) and a group receiving oral enalapril (2.5 mg BID). Compared with no treatment, enalapril produced a sustained lowering of left atrial pressure but no difference in heart rate and mean blood pressure over the 6 weeks. Also compared with no treatment, enalapril modified in vivo remodeling parameters between 1 day and 6 weeks, with less elongation of the asynergy-containing segment, a lower expansion index (ratio of endocardial lengths of infarct to non-infarct-containing segments demarcated by papillary muscle landmarks), less scar wall thinning, a lower thinning ratio (ratio of average thickness of infarcted wall to average thickness of the normal wall), smaller ventricular volume, less regional bulging and aneurysm frequency, prevention of the increase in ventricular mass, less total extent of asynergy, and higher volume ejection fraction. At postmortem examination, scar mass was similar in the two groups, but topographic maps with enalapril revealed less infarct bulging, flatter infarct scars, and less noninfarct wall thickness. In addition, postmortem collagen content was similar in noninfarct zones of the two groups but lower in infarct zones of the dogs given enalapril.

CONCLUSIONS

Prolonged enalapril therapy, in a dose that did not lower blood pressure, during healing after anterior infarction produced prolonged reduction of left ventricular preload in dogs. This diastolic unloading was associated with limitation of remodeling parameters (infarct expansion and thinning, progressive ventricular dilation and hypertrophy, and regional bulging), less total asynergy, and improved left ventricular ejection fraction. Although angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition was associated with lower collagen content in the infarct area and altered scar topography, these effects did not impact negatively on overall remodeling and function.

Differential regulation of two types of intracellular calcium release channels during end-stage heart failure

The molecular basis of human heart failure is unknown. Alterations in calcium homeostasis have been observed in failing human heart muscles. Intracellular calcium-release channels regulate the calcium flux required for muscle contraction. Two forms of intracellular calcium-release channels are expressed in the heart: the ryanodine receptor (RyR) and the inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R). In the present study we showed that these two cardiac intracellular calcium release channels were regulated in opposite directions in failing human hearts. In the left ventricle, RyR mRNA levels were decreased by 31% (P < 0.025) whereas IP3R mRNA levels were increased by 123% (P < 0.005). In situ hybridization localized both RyR and IP3R mRNAs to human cardiac myocytes. The relative amounts of IP3 binding sites increased approximately 40% compared with ryanodine binding sites in the failing heart. RyR down-regulation could contribute to impaired contractility; IP3R up regulation may be a compensatory response providing an alternative pathway for mobilizing intracellular calcium release, possibly contributing to the increased diastolic tone associated with heart failure and the hypertrophic response of failing myocardium.

Insulin-like growth factor-1 enhances ventricular hypertrophy and function during the onset of experimental cardiac failure

To determine whether additional hypertrophy would be beneficial or maladaptive in cardiac failure, the effects of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) were investigated in rats with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. In normal rats, 3 mg/kg per d of recombinant human IGF-1 for 14 d augmented LV wt (32%) and increased LV/body wt ratio (P < 0.01). 2 d after coronary occlusion, rats were randomized to IGF-1 (3 mg/kg per d) or placebo. After 2 wk, IGF-1-treated rats showed significant increases in LV wt (13%) and LV wt/tibial length ratio, but LV/body wt ratio was unchanged. By microangiography, compared with controls (n = 12) IGF-1-treated rats (n = 16) showed increased LV end-diastolic volume (19%) and stroke volume (31%) (both significant normalized to tibial length, but not to body wt). Average infarct size did not differ between groups. The LV ejection fraction (EF) was not significantly different between groups, but estimated cardiac output was higher in treated rats; there was a significant interaction for the EF between infarct size and treatment (P = 0.029) and a trend for EF to be higher in treated rats with large infarctions (EF 33.4 vs 25.1% in controls). Myocyte cross-sectional areas in noninfarcted LV zones tended to be larger in treated rats (232.1 vs 205.4 microns 2; P = 0.10), but there was no difference in capillary density and collagen content did not differ between groups. In conclusion, IGF-1 administration caused hypertrophy of the normal heart in vivo. When stimulated by IGF-1, the severely dysfunctional heart in evolving myocardial infarction is capable of undergoing additional hypertrophy with evidence of improved function, suggesting a beneficial effect. Further investigation of the potential role of growth factor therapy in heart failure appears warranted.

Effect of alpha adrenergic stimulation and carnitine palmitoyl transferase I inhibition on hypertrophying adult rat cardiomyocytes in culture

Long-term, serum supplemented cultures of rat adult ventriculocytes were utilized to study the tropic effects of the alpha-agonist phenylephrine and of the carnitine palmitoyltransferase I inhibitor etomoxir. Cell protein and the rate of incorporation of phenylalanine were measured, corrected for cellular DNA content and utilized as an index for hypertrophy and of anabolic activity of the cells, respectively. The mRNA level of ANF was utilized as an index for the pathological phenotypic change (i.e., switch to fetal gene program), and that of the Na-channel--a constantly expressed gene in normal and hypertrophic cardiomyocytes--served as an internal control. Both mRNAs were quantified at various stages in culture by competitive reverse transcriptase PCR. The size of control myocytes steadily increased for over 3 weeks. The cells were completely redifferentiated and reached a maximum of anabolic activity 2 weeks after plating. Secretion and mRNA levels of ANF were increased severalfold after 7-8 days. Addition of 10 microM phenylephrine considerably speeded up cell growth. Maximum anabolic activity and complete redifferentiation were reached already after 1 week. Levels of mRNA and of ANF release increased 30-40 fold. Interestingly, induction of ANF gene transcription lagged behind the redifferentiation of the cells. Ten microM etomoxir inhibited the oxidation of palmitic acid and stimulated that of exogenous glucose by adult cardiomyocytes. In spite of its clear effect on fuel utilization, etomoxir had no direct hypertrophic effect on the myocytes in culture and did not inhibit the stimulatory action of alpha-agonists. Reactivation of the fetal gene program, as visualized by ANF production, was not reversed by etomoxir.

The effect of cholinergic stimulation on cultured smooth muscle cells

OBJECTIVE

To assess the role of cholinergic angonists and antagonists on the growth control of cultured rabbit detrusor smooth muscle cells.

DESIGN

Dosage dependent growth curve analysis of smooth muscle cells in standard media to bethanechol and atropine at concentrations from 1 x 10(-5) to 1 x 10(-9) mMol.

RESULTS

Exogenous exposure to bethanechol results in a significant dose dependent increase in total cell number over a 10 day period. At a concentration of 1 x 10-6 and 1 x 10-5 mMol a 20% to 50% growth increase is noted. Exogenous atropine at all concentrations decreased growth by approximately five fold.

CONCLUSIONS

The exogenous application of muscarinic cholinergic agonists and antagonists can significantly effect bladder muscle cell growth in vitro. The mechanism of growth control through these pharmacological receptors remains to be elucidated.

Subunit expression of signal transducing G proteins in cardiac tissue: implications for phospholipase C-beta regulation

In the heart, alpha-adrenergic, angiotensin II and endothelin signaling pathways modulate short-term changes in chronotropy and inotropy, and participate in the long-term control of cardiac growth. A shared feature of these signaling pathways is the stimulation of phosphatidylinositol (PI) turnover, which is thought to occur via G protein-mediated regulation of phospholipase C (PLC) activity. However, G protein subunits capable of regulating PLC activity have not been identified in different regions and cell types of the heart and members of the G protein-regulated PLC-beta isozyme family have not been documented in the heart. Using a battery of antipeptide specific antisera directed against the G protein alpha q, beta and gamma subunit families and against members of the PLC-beta, PLC-gamma and PLC-delta families, we demonstrated that heart tissues express the G protein alpha subunits alpha q and alpha 11, multiple G protein beta and gamma subunits, and PLC-beta 3, a phospholipase C isozyme regulated by either G protein alpha or beta gamma subunits. The degree of expression and distribution of these subunits differed between regions of the heart (atria versus ventricle) and changed with development. These data lay the ground work for future studies to determine the functional coupling of specific subsets of these components involved in receptor activation of PI turnover in the heart.

Mechanoperception and mechanotransduction in cardiac adaptation: mechanical and molecular aspects

Cardiomyocytes grow in hypertrophy due to a net increase in the synthesis of proteins, especially contractile proteins, in the cell. There is abundant information about the molecular and biochemical changes involved in this process, but it is not completely understood how cells sense mechanical stimuli and how these stimuli are transferred into a biochemical signal inducing the growth response. This mechanotransduction most likely takes place at the cellular membrane. The resulting signal is transferred to the nucleus, where it can initiate alterations in gene expression.

Ins 1,4,5-P3 and Ca2+ signaling in quiescent neonatal cardiac myocytes

Activation of alpha 1-adrenergic receptors in neonatal cardiac myocytes results in changes in contractile activity and the induction of hypertrophic growth. The biochemical mechanisms responsible for these diverse effects are not yet established, but presumably involve the associated alpha 1-adrenergic stimulation of phosphatidylinositol (PI) hydrolysis, with concomitant generation of Ins 1,4,5-P3 and diacylglycerol. This study examined whether alpha 1-adrenergic generation of Ins 1,4,5-P3 in intact, quiescent, neonatal cardiac myocytes resulted in a Ca2+ signal. Stimulation of myocytes with norepinephrine in the presence of propranolol caused accumulation of inositol mono-, bis and trisphosphates. However, alpha 1-adrenergic stimulation did not alter cytosolic free Ca2+ levels in 85% of the myocytes examined. Direct generation of Ins 1,4,5-P3, by photolysis of microinjected caged Ins 1,4,5-P3, was also unable to alter cytosolic free Ca2+ levels, despite the presence of Ins 1,4,5-P3 receptors. Taken together, these data indicated that alpha 1-adrenergic stimulation did not initiate Ca2+ signaling because Ins 1,4,5-P3-induced Ca2+ mobilization was not operative in quiescent neonatal cardiac myocytes. Normal excitation-contraction Ca2+ handling mechanisms were present in these cells, as illustrated by depolarization- and caffeine-induced Ca2+ transients. Analysis of these same myocytes following 48 h in the presence of norepinephrine and propranolol showed a 40% increase in the ratio of protein to DNA and a 350% increase in release of atrial naturietic factor, compared to control cells, indicating the normal operation of alpha 1-adrenergic-induced hypertrophic growth. Therefore, the assumption that Ca(2+)-dependent processes will be activated by receptor signaling pathways coupled to enhanced phosphatidylinositol turnover in cardiac cells must be avoided. In addition, the data presented in this study clearly indicated that an increase in cytosolic free Ca2+ was not necessary for the induction of alpha 1-adrenergic-mediated cardiac hypertrophy.

Effects of one-year treatment with rilmenidine on systemic hypertension-induced left ventricular hypertrophy in hypertensive patients

In patients with essential hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) increases the risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Thus its reversal represents one of the principal end-points of antihypertensive treatment. We assessed the cardiovascular effects of 1-year antihypertensive treatment with rilmenidine (1 or 2 mg/day orally), a new oxazoline with a potent antihypertensive action that acts selectively through imidazoline-preferring receptors. In 11 hypertensive patients (mean age, 49 +/- 2 years) with LVH, we measured systemic hemodynamics, large artery compliance, cardiac anatomy, and endocrine function. Patients underwent M-mode and 2-dimensional echocardiography as well as Doppler and peripheral pulsed Doppler flowmetry, determination of plasma atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) levels and renin activity (PRA), and of 24-hour urinary electrolyte and creatinine excretion in control conditions (systolic/diastolic blood pressure, 148 +/- 3/102 +/- 1 mm Hg), 4 weeks after blood pressure normalization (131 +/- 2/84 +/- 2 mm Hg; p < 0.01), after 1 year of satisfactory antihypertensive treatment (142 +/- 3/90 +/- 1 mm Hg; p < 0.01) and, finally, 1 month after therapy withdrawal (155 +/- 3/106 +/- 2 mm Hg; difference not significant [NS]). One-year of rilmenidine treatment induced an improvement in brachial artery compliance (from 0.92 +/- 0.06 to 1.16 +/- 0.08 cm4/dyne; p < 0.05), which persisted after withdrawal of treatment (1.17 +/- 0.06 cm4/dyne; p < 0.05). LVH was reversed after 1 year of rilmenidine treatment (from 152 +/- 5 to 131 +/- 4 g/m2 body surface area; p < 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Classical, novel and atypical isoforms of PKC stimulate ANF- and TRE/AP-1-regulated-promoter activity in ventricular cardiomyocytes

Cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes were co-transfected with expression plasmids encoding protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms from each of the PKC subfamilies (classical PKC-alpha, novel PKC-epsilon or atypical PKC-zeta) together with an atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) reporter plasmid. Each PKC had been rendered constitutively active by a single Ala-->Glu mutation or a small deletion in the inhibitory pseudosubstrate site. cPKC-alpha, nPKC-epsilon or aPKC-zeta expression plasmids each stimulated ANF-promoter activity and expression of a reporter gene under the control of a 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate-response element (TRE). Upregulation of the ANF promoter is characteristic of the hypertrophic response in the heart ventricle and a TRE is present in the ANF promoter. Thus all subfamilies of PKC may have the potential to contribute to hypertrophic response in cardiomyocytes.

Multiple isoelectric variants of flightin in Drosophila stretch-activated muscles are generated by temporally regulated phosphorylations

Drosophila stretch-activated flight muscles contain flightin, a novel myofibrillar protein that interacts with myosin filaments. We have identified eleven flightin isoelectric variants that can be subdivided into phosphorylated and non-phosphorylated subclasses. Flight muscles of late pupal stage P15, at which time myofibrillogenesis has been completed but the muscle has yet to be used, contain primarily non-phosphorylated variants. A dramatic increase in flightin phosphorylation occurs subsequent to eclosion. As the young adult matures, increasingly phosphorylated variants are generated following a precise ontogenetic progression. Adults 5-6 h old and older contain the entire set of flightin isoelectric variants. All nine phosphovariants remain metabolically active throughout adult life as evidenced by their ability to incorporate radioactive phosphate in older adults. Our results suggest the possibility that all nine phosphorylated variants originate from a single precursor by sequential phosphorylation. Phosphorylation of flightin may thus serve both structural and regulatory functional roles.

Regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade in adult rat heart preparations in vitro

The regulation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and MAPK kinase (MEK) was studied in freshly isolated adult rat heart preparations. In contrast to the situation in ventricular myocytes cultured from neonatal rat hearts, stimulation of MAPK activity by 1 mumol/L phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) was not consistently detectable in crude extracts. After fast protein liquid chromatography, MAPK isoforms p42MAPK and p44MAPK and two peaks of MEK were shown to be activated > 10-fold in perfused hearts or ventricular myocytes exposed to 1 mumol/L PMA for 5 minutes. The identities of MAPK or MEK were confirmed by immunoblotting and, for MAPK, by the "in-gel" myelin basic protein phosphorylation assay. In retrogradely perfused hearts, high coronary perfusion pressure (120 mm Hg for 5 minutes), norepinephrine (50 mumol/L for 5 minutes), or isoproterenol (50 mumol/L for 5 minutes) stimulated MAPK and MEK approximately 2- to 5-fold. In isolated myocytes, endothelin 1 (100 nmol/L for 5 minutes) also stimulated MAPK, but stimulation by norepinephrine or isoproterenol was difficult to detect. Immunoblotting showed that the relative abundances of MAPK and MEK protein in ventricles declined to < 20% of their postpartal abundances after 50 days. This may explain the difficulties encountered in assaying the activity of MAPK in crude extracts from adult hearts. We conclude that potentially hypertrophic agonists and interventions stimulate the MAPK cascade in adult rats and suggest that the MAPK cascade may be an important intracellular signaling pathway in this response.

Increased protein kinase C and isozyme redistribution in pressure-overload cardiac hypertrophy in the rat

Protein kinase C (PKC) activity and isozyme distribution were evaluated during development of pressure-overload-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Three-week-old rats were loosely banded on the ascending aorta (left ventricular hypertrophy [LVH] group). Two weeks later, when left ventricular mass was 50% greater than in the sham-operated control group and cardiac mass was still rapidly increasing beyond that of normal growth, PKC activity and [3H]phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDBu) binding capacity were determined. In LVH, PKC activity was 119 +/- 14%, 158 +/- 17%, and 152 +/- 9% of the control value in cytosol, membrane, and nuclear-cytoskeletal fractions, respectively (n = 9 or 10). [3H]PDBu binding assay revealed increased PKC concentration in LVH cytosolic (control, 0.51 +/- 0.06 pmol/L per milligram; LVH, 0.78 +/- 0.09 pmol/L per milligram; n = 5; P < .05) and membrane fractions (control, 1.33 +/- 0.15; LVH, 2.32 +/- 0.39; n = 5; P < .05). Scatchard analysis indicated no difference in Kd values between control and LVH groups. Immunoblot analysis using PKC isoform-specific antibodies showed that both Ca(2+)-dependent (alpha and beta) and Ca(2+)-independent (delta, epsilon, and zeta) isoforms were present in the left ventricle. Compared with the control value, there was increased concentration in the membrane and nuclear-cytoskeletal fractions for beta 1,2 and epsilon and in the cytosol for beta 1,2. PKC-delta could be detected only in the nuclear-cytoskeletal fraction and was not changed in LVH. PKC-alpha and -zeta were present in all three fractions but were not altered in LVH. These data indicate that PKC activity and concentration increase during development of LVH induced by pressure overload. The increased PKC isozymes were mainly limited to PKC-beta 1,2 and PKC-epsilon, and the increase was present mainly in the membrane and nuclear-cytoskeletal fractions.

Mitogen-activated protein kinases mediate changes in gene expression, but not cytoskeletal organization associated with cardiac muscle cell hypertrophy

Shortly after birth, cardiac myocytes lose the ability to divide, and, in adult animals, heart muscle grows by a process of cellular hypertrophy where each individual cell gets larger. We have previously shown that activated Ras protein can induce markers of the hypertrophic phenotype, including atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) expression and organization of contractile proteins, and that Ras is at least partially required for the hypertrophic effect of phenylephrine. In the present study, we examine the requirement for the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAP kinases) in the hypertrophic response induced by phenylephrine. We find that phenylephrine treatment results in the activation of the MAP kinases and that this activity is required for transactivation of the fos, ANF, and MLH promoters. However, inhibition of MAP kinases does not prevent phenylephrine-induced organization of actin. These results suggest that the signal transduction pathways leading to different hypertrophic responses diverge upstream of the MAP kinases but possibly downstream of Ras.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition prolongs survival and modifies the transition to heart failure in rats with pressure overload hypertrophy due to ascending aortic stenosis

BACKGROUND

We tested the hypotheses that long-term administration of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor fosinopril will regress hypertrophy, modify the transition to heart failure, and prolong survival in rats with chronic left ventricular (LV) pressure overload due to ascending aortic stenosis.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Aortic stenosis was created in weanling male Wistar rats by a stainless steel clip placed on the ascending aorta. Age-matched control animals underwent a sham operation (Sham group, n = 57). Six weeks after surgery, rats with aortic stenosis were randomized to receive either oral fosinopril 50 mg.kg-1.d-1 (Fos/LVH group, n = 38) or no drug (LVH group, n = 36) for 15 weeks. Pilot studies confirmed that this dosage produced significant inhibition of LV tissue ACE in vivo. Animals were monitored daily, and survival during the 15-week treatment period was assessed by actuarial analysis. At 15 weeks, in vivo LV systolic and diastolic pressures and heart rate were measured. To assess contractile function, the force-calcium relation was evaluated by use of the isovolumic buffer-perfused, balloon-in-LV heart preparation at comparable coronary flow rates per gram LV weight. Quantitative morphometry was performed. Mortality during the 15-week trial was significantly less in the Fos/LVH group than in the LVH group (3% versus 31%, P < .005). No deaths occurred in the Sham group. In vivo LV systolic pressure was similar between Fos/LVH and LVH hearts (223 +/- 10 versus 232 +/- 9 mm Hg) and significantly higher than the Sham group (99 +/- 3 mm Hg, P < .05). In vivo LV diastolic pressure was significantly lower in Fos/LVH hearts than in LVH hearts (10 +/- 2 versus 15 +/- 2 mm Hg), and both were significantly higher than in the Sham group (5 +/- 1 mm Hg, P < .05). Heart rate was similar among all groups. Despite equivalent elevation of LV systolic pressure, fosinopril resulted in regression of myocyte hypertrophy in Fos/LVH versus LVH (myocyte cell width, 14.8 +/- 0.5 versus 20.8 +/- 2.2 microns, P < .05) to normal levels (Sham, 16.3 +/- 0.9 microns). Quantitative morphometry demonstrated that the regression of LV myocyte hypertrophy in the Fos/LVH group was associated with a relative increase in the fractional volume of fibrillar collagen and noncollagen interstitium. In the isolated heart experiments, LV systolic developed pressure relative to perfusate [Ca2+] was significantly higher in Fos/LVH hearts than in LVH hearts. The improvement in systolic function was not related to any difference in myocardial high-energy phosphate levels, since LV ATP and creatine phosphate levels were similar in Fos/LVH and LVH hearts.

CONCLUSIONS

In rats with ascending aortic stenosis, chronic ACE inhibition with fosinopril improved survival, decreased the extent of LV hypertrophy, and improved cardiac function despite persistent elevation of LV systolic pressure. The favorable effects of fosinopril may be related in part to inhibition of the effects of cardiac ACE on myocyte hypertrophy rather than to systemic hemodynamic mechanisms.

Transformation of adult ventricular myocytes with the temperature sensitive A58 (tsA58) mutant of the SV40 large T antigen

Freshly isolated ventricular myocytes have been used extensively as an adult cardiac model system. Due to their inability to undergo cytokinesis in vitro and their dedifferentiated properties in long-term culture, they can not be used for extended studies. Recent reports tell of the establishment of fetal and neonatal cardiac cell lines and the development of adult cardiomyocytes from transgenic animals. A recent report by Kirshenbaum [1], is the first to demonstrate insertion of genes in to adult ventricular myocytes using viral infection. This paper discusses the infection of primary adult differentiated cardiomyocytes with the SV40 large T antigen and subsequent proliferation under temperature sensitive control. Upon further characterization, the cells could be used as a model to study muscle differentiation and repair as well as adult cardiac cell physiology.

Alterations in cardiac gene expression during the transition from stable hypertrophy to heart failure. Marked upregulation of genes encoding extracellular matrix components

The failing heart is characterized by impaired cardiac muscle function and increased interstitial fibrosis. Our purpose was to determine whether the functional impairment of the failing heart is associated with changes in levels of mRNA encoding proteins that modulate parameters of contraction and relaxation and whether the increased fibrosis observed in the failing heart is related to elevated expression of genes encoding extracellular matrix components. We studied hearts of 18- to 24-month-old spontaneously hypertensive rats with signs and symptoms of heart failure (SHR-F) or without evidence of failure (SHR-NF) and of age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Compared with WKY rats, SHR-NF exhibited left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (2.2-fold) and right ventricular (RV) hypertrophy (1.5-fold), whereas SHR-F were characterized by comparable LV hypertrophy (2.1-fold) and augmented RV hypertrophy (2.4-fold; all P < .01). Total RNA was isolated from ventricles and subjected to Northern blot analysis. In SHR-F hearts, the level of alpha-myosin heavy chain mRNA was decreased in both ventricles to 1/3 and 1/5 of the SHR-NF and WKY values, respectively (both P < .01). Levels of beta-myosin heavy chain, alpha-cardiac actin, and myosin light chain-2 mRNAs were not significantly altered in hearts of SHR-NF or SHR-F. Levels of alpha-skeletal actin were twofold greater in SHR-NF hearts compared with WKY hearts and were intermediate in SHR-F hearts. Levels of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) mRNA were elevated threefold in the LV of SHR-NF (P < .05) but were not significantly increased in the RV of SHR-NF compared with WKY rats. During the transition to failure (SHR-F versus SHR-NF), ANF mRNA levels increased an additional 1.6-fold in the LV and were elevated 4.7-fold in the RV (both P < .05). Levels of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SRCA) mRNA were maintained in the LV of hypertensive and failing hearts at levels not significantly different from WKY values. In contrast, the level of RV SRCA mRNA was 24% less in SHR-NF compared with WKY rats, and during the transition to failure, this difference was not significantly exacerbated (29% less than the WKY value). The levels of fibronectin and pro-alpha 1(I) and pro-alpha 1(III) collagen mRNAs were not significantly elevated in either ventricle of the SHR-NF group but were fourfold to fivefold higher in both ventricles of SHR-F (all P < .05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Extracellular ATP induces immediate-early gene expression but not cellular hypertrophy in neonatal cardiac myocytes

It is well-documented that norepinephrine (NE) induces the expression of immediate-early genes (IEGs), such as c-fos, c-jun, and jun-B, in cultured neonatal heart cells and leads to cell growth without cell division (ie, hypertrophy). Although purinergic receptors activated by ATP are present on cardiac myocytes and ATP is coreleased with NE from sympathetic nerve endings within the heart, the potential role of the purinergic system in the cascade of events that leads to cardiac hypertrophy is unknown. We report in the present study that stimulation of purinergic receptors by micromolar concentrations of extracellular ATP increased the levels of c-fos and jun-B mRNA as well as FOS and JUN-B proteins in neonatal cardiac myocytes. The magnitude of response to micromolar ATP was comparable to that elicited by NE. The increase in IEG expression induced by ATP was preceded by a rapid transient increase in cytosolic Ca2+. Pretreatment of myocytes with the intracellular Ca2+ chelator BAPTA-AM prevented the ATP-stimulated increase in cytosolic Ca2+ and attenuated the ATP-stimulated increase in c-fos expression. In contrast, NE did not increase cytosolic Ca2+ in quiescent myocytes, and pretreatment with BAPTA-AM did not inhibit the NE-stimulated increase in c-fos gene expression. Furthermore, although NE markedly increased [14C]phenylalanine incorporation into protein and myocyte hypertrophy measured by cell size, ATP did not. These results demonstrate that stimulation of purinergic receptors by ATP activates IEGs via a Ca(2+)-dependent pathway in cardiac myocytes that differs from the NE stimulated activation of these genes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Basal and acidic fibroblast growth factor-induced atrial natriuretic peptide gene expression and secretion is inhibited by staurosporine

We examined the mechanisms involved in the activation of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) gene expression and secretion in response to acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF) by studying the effects of staurosporine, a protein kinase C inhibitor, and 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA), an activator of protein kinase C, on basal and AFGF-induced ANP messenger RNA (mRNA) and immunoreactive ANP (IR-ANP) levels in cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocytes. Acidic FGF caused a dose- and time-dependent increase in IR-ANP and immunoreactive N-terminal fragment of proANP (IR-NT-proANP) release into the culture medium from ventricular but not from atrial myocytes. In ventricular cells, 50 ng/ml aFGF for 24 or 48 h resulted in a 70% or 181% increase, respectively, in the accumulation of IR-ANP into the culture medium. Acidic FGF also stimulated ANP gene expression significantly; after 48 h of incubation, the ANP mRNA levels of aFGF-treated ventricular myocytes were 205% (P < 0.001) higher than those of control cells. Staurosporine alone at concentration of 10 nM significantly decreased the basal IR-ANP and IR-NT-proANP secretion, and inhibited the aFGF-induced increase in ANP mRNA and IR-ANP levels in ventricular myocytes. TPA (100 nM) alone significantly stimulated ANP gene expression and secretion but these effects were not augmented by combining aFGF with TPA. High performance liquid chromatographical analysis showed that atrial and ventricular myocytes maintained in serum-free medium were capable of secreting processed, ANP99-126 sized material, and that aFGF did not alter the processing of ANP in ventricular cultures. These results demonstrate that aFGF is a potent stimulator of ANP gene expression and secretion in cultured neonatal rat ventricular but not in atrial cells. The observations that (a) staurosporine completely abolished the effects of aFGF on ANP gene expression and release and (b) ANP secretory and gene expression inducing effects of phorbol ester were not augmented by aFGF, suggest an important role of protein kinase C in mediating aFGF-induced ANP gene expression and secretion.

Insulin-like growth factor I stimulates myofibril development and decreases smooth muscle alpha-actin of adult cardiomyocytes

Adult rat cardiomyocytes in long-term culture express type 1 insulin-like growth factor (IGF) receptors. In contrast to insulin receptors, type 1 IGF receptors are up-regulated during culturing. IGF-I added to the cells at plating increased granular density and pseudopodia number per cell after 7 days. After 16 days, IGF-I-treated cells showed, as compared with controls, a dramatic increase of the number of newly built sarcomeres and were packed with myofibrils. At the same time, IGF-I suppressed the accumulation of smooth muscle alpha-actin (sm-alpha-actin) in a dose-dependent manner. Under the conditions of this in vitro system, growth hormone had no effect on cell morphology or sm-alpha-actin. sm-alpha-Actin, a nonsarcomeric isoform of actin expressed in early fetal cardiac development, reappears both during long-term culture of adult rat cardiomyocytes and during heart hypertrophy. This study shows that type 1 IGF receptors are up-regulated in adult rat cardiomyocytes in long-term culture and that IGF-I enhances myofibril development and concomitantly down-regulates sm-alpha-actin. This protein forms stress-fiber-like structures and may temporarily serve as a scaffold for the formation of new sarcomeres until myofibrils have developed throughout the cell and the scaffold is no longer needed. Our findings thus allow us to propose another hypothesis for the mechanism leading to overload heart hypertrophy.

Myocyte cellular hyperplasia and myocyte cellular hypertrophy contribute to chronic ventricular remodeling in coronary artery narrowing-induced cardiomyopathy in rats

To determine whether cardiac failure produced by chronic coronary artery stenosis was associated with the activation of myocyte cellular hyperplasia in the myocardium, the changes in number and size of left ventricular myocytes were measured in rats 3 months after surgery. The hypertrophied left ventricle was found to possess 44%, 32%, 49%, and 48% fewer mononucleated, binucleated, trinucleated, and tetranucleated myocytes, respectively. In contrast, the hypertrophied right ventricle contained 1.49 x 10(6) more myocytes as a result of a 2.1-fold, 1.4-fold, and 1.4-fold increase in mononucleated, binucleated, and tetranucleated myocytes. Myocyte cell volume was seen to increase 49% and 21% in left and right ventricular myocytes, respectively. The process of myocyte cellular hyperplasia in the right ventricular myocardium was accompanied by capillary proliferation, and these events were responsible for the parallel addition of newly formed cells and capillaries within the wall and mural thickening. Moreover, the in-series insertion of new myocytes contributed to right ventricular dilatation after coronary artery stenosis. In view of the fact that extensive myocardial damage and cell loss may have masked the phenomenon of myocyte cellular hyperplasia in the left ventricle, the presence of DNA synthesis in myocyte nuclei was evaluated at 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months after coronary artery stenosis. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling markedly increased in myocyte nuclei of both ventricles, reaching its peak at 1 and 2 weeks. BrdU labeling of nonmyocyte nuclei also increased but mostly at 2 weeks.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

On establishing primary cultures of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes for analysis over long periods

INTRODUCTION

Primary cultures of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes include a population of rapidly dividing nonmyocardial cells that can alter the properties of myocytes and complicate experimental interpretations. Without any intervention, nonmyocyte proliferation restricts the utility of primary cultures in biochemical and electrophysiologic studies to 4-5 days. However, with the recent interest in regulation of cardiac gene expression and the effects of growth factors on cardiac function, long-term studies with stable heart cultures are warranted.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In the present study an immunohistochemical staining strategy was developed that allowed for reliable quantitation of myocytes and nonmyocytes in cultures maintained for extended periods under different culture conditions. Density gradient purification of myocytes was found valuable in limiting nonmyocyte levels to < 20% at early times. Further treatment of cultures with a mitotic inhibitor, 0.1 mM bromodeoxyuridine, or 3500 rads of gamma-irradiation effectively blocked the proliferation of nonmyocardial cells, while it had no effect on cardiocyte levels. However, bromodeoxyuridine displayed side effects on the myocytes; the spontaneous beating rate and intracellular glycogen content were markedly depressed. In contrast, a systematic investigation of the properties of the irradiated myocytes, including spontaneous beating rates, dihydropyridine receptors, glycogen content, sarcoplasmic reticulum function, and phosphoinositide signaling, revealed that irradiation did not alter cardiac cell function. Although ionizing radiation can stimulate gene expression in some cell types, gamma-irradiation did not evoke c-fos expression or cause sarcomere formation, responses seen in cardiac cells to several trophic factors.

CONCLUSION

This study establishes a system of stable, functional, primary cultured cardiac cells that can be used in long-term molecular and electrophysiologic studies of at least 2 weeks.

Gene expression of atrial natriuretic factor in ovine fetal heart during development

OBJECTIVE

The present study quantified the abundance of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) messenger RNA (mRNA) and determined the developmental pattern of ANF gene expression in the four cardiac chambers of the ovine fetus during the last two-thirds of gestation.

METHODS

Twenty-one fetuses from 13 time-dated pregnant ewes at gestational ages of 60-145 days were used for this study. Total RNA from fetal atria and ventricles was extracted and ANF mRNA was analyzed by Northern blotting. The ANF mRNA signal was quantified by light densitometry. The abundance of ANF mRNA in the cardiac chambers across gestational ages was analyzed by linear regression analysis and one-way analysis of variance.

RESULTS

Atrial natriuretic factor mRNA was much more abundant in the atria than in the ventricles of all fetuses at each gestational age studied. Atrial ANF mRNA levels were lowest in the younger fetuses at 60 days and increased with advancing gestation. Ventricular ANF mRNA levels were highest in fetuses at 60 days and decreased to almost nondetectable levels near term. No difference in ANF mRNA abundance was noted between the right and left atria or the right and left ventricles at each gestational age.

CONCLUSION

A developmental pattern of ANF gene expression is demonstrated in the ovine fetal heart during the last two-thirds of gestation. This pattern shows that atrial ANF mRNA abundance increases while ventricular abundance decreases as the fetus matures. Expression of the ANF gene in the fetal period may be regulated developmentally or induced by cardiovascular changes in utero.

Upregulation of IGF1, IGF1-receptor, and late growth related genes in ventricular myocytes acutely after infarction in rats

To determine the effects of acute myocardial infarction on the expression of insulin-like growth factor1 (IGF1) and insulin-like growth factor1 receptors (IGF-1R) on the surviving myocytes of the left and right ventricles, large infarcts were produced in rats and the animals sacrificed 2 days later. Hemodynamic measurements of left and right ventricular pressures, +dP/dt and -dP/dt, and central venous pressure documented that coronary occlusion was associated with a severe impairment of cardiac function. By employing reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RTPCR), a low level of expression of IGF-1R mRNA was detected in myocytes from sham-operated rats. Acute myocardial infarction was found to enhance by nearly twofold the message for IGF-1R in viable myocytes biventricularly. Moreover, IGF1 mRNA increased 4.3-fold and 9.4-fold in left and right myocytes, respectively. In order to establish whether the upregulation of IGF1 and IGF-1R with infarction was coupled with induction of late growth related genes, which are known to be implicated in DNA replication and mitotic division, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and histone-H3 expression was assessed by Northern blot and RTPCR. The level of expression of PCNA mRNA was found to be increased 3.9-fold and 2.4-fold in left and right myocytes, respectively from infarcted hearts. Corresponding increments in histone-H3 mRNA were 25.5-fold and 5.3-fold, respectively. However, PCNA protein as detected by immunoperoxidase staining was restricted to a limited number of myocyte nuclei adjacent to the necrotic myocardium of the left ventricle. In conclusion, acute myocardial infarction is associated with enhanced expression of IGF1 and IGF-1R on stressed myocytes, and this phenomenon may activate genes essential for DNA synthesis, possibly affecting myocyte growth. These processes may be fundamental for the reconstitution of tissue mass and amelioration of function after infarction.

Autocrine release of angiotensin II mediates stretch-induced hypertrophy of cardiac myocytes in vitro

Hypertrophy is a fundamental adaptive process employed by postmitotic cardiac and skeletal muscle in response to mechanical load. How muscle cells convert mechanical stimuli into growth signals has been a long-standing question. Using an in vitro model of load (stretch)-induced cardiac hypertrophy, we demonstrate that mechanical stretch causes release of angiotensin II (Ang II) from cardiac myocytes and that Ang II acts as an initial mediator of the stretch-induced hypertrophic response. The results not only provide direct evidence for the autocrine mechanism in load-induced growth of cardiac muscle cells, but also define the pathophysiological role of the local (cardiac) renin-angiotensin system.

Immediate-early gene induction by repetitive mechanical but not electrical activity in adult rat cardiomyocytes

Mechanical factors are thought to play an important role in the induction of myocardial hypertrophy. Yet, it is not known whether active contraction induces genes that probably represent initial steps in the hypertrophic response in the adult myocardium--and if so, whether the mechanical or the electrical component of the twitch governs this response. We therefore investigated whether electrical stimulation of contraction was able to induce the immediate-early genes (IEGs) egr-1 and c-fos in adult rat cardiomyocytes. Cyclical contraction led to an increase in egr-1 and c-fos mRNA levels within 30 min. Full inhibition of contraction during electrostimulation by the Ca(2+)-desensitizer 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) totally blocked this IEG-response without altering membrane potential. These data suggest that in adult myocardium, the mechanical rather than the electrical activity is responsible for the IEG-response during active twitch.

cAMP and protein synthesis in isolated adult rat heart preparations

The involvement of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) in the stimulation of ventricular protein synthesis by aortic hypertension or adrenergic agonists in the adult rat heart was investigated. In either the retrogradely or anterogradely perfused heart, aortic hypertension increased protein synthesis rates by up to 19%. However, no changes in cAMP concentrations or in cAMP-dependent protein kinase activity ratios could be detected either at early (< 5 min) or late (90 min) time points. Although isoproterenol, 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, or forskolin raised cAMP concentrations (by up to 4.5-fold) and cAMP-dependent protein kinase ratios (by up to 4-fold), protein synthesis rates were not increased; however, under some perfusion conditions, glucagon did stimulate protein synthesis by 25%. Epinephrine stimulated protein synthesis by up to 32%, an effect that was not prevented by propranolol. Phenylephrine also stimulated protein synthesis, an effect that was prevented by prazosin but was unaffected by yohimbine. These findings implicate the alpha 1-adrenoceptor in the regulation of cardiac protein synthesis. Because changes in adenine nucleotide concentrations were similar in hearts perfused with epinephrine or with the agents that raised cAMP, it is unlikely that adenine nucleotide depletion is responsible for the failure to observe effects of the latter group of agents on protein synthesis. Although isoproterenol or forskolin raised cAMP concentrations in isolated ventricular cardiomyocytes where ATP depletion was minimal, neither stimulated protein synthesis. alpha 1-Adrenergic agonists stimulate phosphoinositide hydrolysis in the heart (Brown, J. H., I. L. Buxton, and L. L. Brunton. Circ. Res. 57:532-537, 1985). Aortic hypertension doubled the rate of phosphoinositide hydrolysis in the perfused heart. We suggest that the phosphoinositide-linked signal transduction pathway is more likely to be involved in stimulation of cardiac protein synthesis by hypertension or adrenergic agonism than the adenylyl cyclase/cAMP-linked pathway.

Contribution of endogenous endothelin-1 to the progression of cardiopulmonary alterations in rats with monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is known to have potent contractile and proliferative effects on vascular smooth muscle cells and is known to induce myocardial cell hypertrophy. We studied the pathophysiological role of endogenous ET-1 in rats with monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension. Four-week-old rats were given a single subcutaneous injection of 60 mg/kg monocrotaline (MCT rats) or saline (control rats) and were killed after 6, 10, 14, 18, and 25 days. In the MCT rats, right ventricular systolic pressure progressively increased and right ventricular hypertrophy developed in a parallel fashion. The venous plasma ET-1 concentration also progressively increased, and this increase preceded the development of pulmonary hypertension. The isolated pulmonary artery exhibited a significantly weaker response to ET-1 in the MCT rats on day 25 but not on days 6 and 14. In the MCT rats, the expression of prepro ET-1 mRNA as measured by Northern blot analysis significantly increased in the heart on days 18 and 25, whereas it gradually decreased in the lungs. The peptide level of ET-1 in the lungs also significantly decreased in the pulmonary hypertensive stage. The expression of prepro ET-1 mRNA had increased by day 6 only in the kidneys. Continuous infusion of BQ-123, a selective ETA receptor antagonist, by an osmotic minipump (14.3 mg per day per rat for 18 days) significantly inhibited the progression of both pulmonary hypertension (right ventricular systolic pressure, 77.8 +/- 4.2 [mean +/- SEM] mm Hg [n = 10] versus 52.3 +/- 2.4 mm Hg [n = 7]; P < .01) and right ventricular hypertrophy (right ventricle/[left ventricle +/- septum], 0.56 +/- 0.03 [n = 10] versus 0.41 +/- 0.02 [n = 7]; P < .01). Histological examination revealed that BQ-123 also effectively prevented pulmonary arterial medial thickening. The inhibition of right ventricular hypertrophy by BQ-123 may be partly ascribed to the blockade of excessive stimulation of the heart by ET-1, in addition to the prevention of pulmonary hypertension. The present findings suggest that endogenous ET-1 contributes to the progression of cardiopulmonary alterations in rats with MCT-induced pulmonary hypertension.