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Tsai CT, Wu CK, Chiang FT, Tseng CD, Lee JK, Yu CC, Wang YC, Lai LP, Lin JL, Hwang JJ. In-vitro recording of adult zebrafish heart electrocardiogram — A platform for pharmacological testing. Clin Chim Acta 2011; 412:1963-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cca.2011.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2011] [Revised: 06/29/2011] [Accepted: 07/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Abstract
The zebrafish is an ideal model organism for investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying cardiogenesis, due to the powerful combination of optical access to the embryonic heart and plentiful opportunities for genetic analysis. A continually increasing number of studies are uncovering mutations, morpholinos, and small molecules that cause striking cardiac defects and disrupt blood circulation in the zebrafish embryo. Such defects can result from a wide variety of origins including defects in the specification or differentiation of cardiac progenitor cells; errors in the morphogenesis of the heart tube, the cardiac chambers, or the atrioventricular canal or problems with establishing proper cardiac function. An extensive arsenal of techniques is available to distinguish between these possibilities and thereby decipher the roots of cardiac defects. In this chapter, we provide a guide to the experimental strategies that are particularly effective for the characterization of cardiac phenotypes in the zebrafish embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant I Miura
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA
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Chan J, Mably JD. Dissection of cardiovascular development and disease pathways in zebrafish. PROGRESS IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE 2011; 100:111-53. [PMID: 21377626 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-384878-9.00004-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
The use of animal models in medicine has contributed significantly to the development of drug treatments and surgical procedures for the last century, in particular for cardiovascular disease. In order to model human disease in an animal, an appreciation of the strengths and limitations of the system are required to interpret results and design the logical sequence of steps toward clinical translation. As the world's population ages, cardiovascular disease will become even more prominent and further progress will be essential to stave off what seems destined to become a massive public health issue. Future treatments will require the imaginative application of current models as well as the generation of new ones. In this review, we discuss the resources available for modeling cardiovascular disease in zebrafish and the varied attributes of this system. We then discuss current zebrafish disease models and their potential that has yet to be exploited.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanne Chan
- Vascular Biology Program, Department of Surgery, Children's Hospital Boston, and Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Muntean BS, Horvat CM, Behler JH, AbouAlaiwi WA, Nauli AM, Williams FE, Nauli SM. A Comparative Study of Embedded and Anesthetized Zebrafish in vivo on Myocardiac Calcium Oscillation and Heart Muscle Contraction. Front Pharmacol 2010; 1:139. [PMID: 21833178 PMCID: PMC3153013 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2010.00139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2010] [Accepted: 11/19/2010] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The zebrafish (Danio rerio) has been used as a model for studying vertebrate development in the cardiovascular system. In order to monitor heart contraction and cytosolic calcium oscillations, fish were either embedded in methylcellulose or anesthetized with tricaine. Using high-resolution differential interference contrast and calcium imaging microscopy, we here show that dopamine and verapamil alter calcium signaling and muscle contraction in anesthetized zebrafish, but not in embedded zebrafish. In anesthetized fish, dopamine increases the amplitude of cytosolic calcium oscillation with a subsequent increase in heart contraction, whereas verapamil decreases the frequency of calcium oscillation and heart rate. Interestingly, verapamil also increases myocardial contraction. Our data further indicate that verapamil can increase myocardial calcium sensitivity in anesthetized fish. Taken together, our data reinforce in vivo cardiac responses to dopamine and verapamil. Furthermore, effects of dopamine and verapamil on myocardial calcium and contraction are greater in anesthetized than embedded fish. We suggest that while the zebrafish is an excellent model for a cardiovascular imaging study, the cardio-pharmacological profiles are very different between anesthetized and embedded fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian S. Muntean
- Department of Pharmacology, Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine, The University of ToledoToledo, OH, USA
| | - Christine M. Horvat
- Department of Pharmacology, Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine, The University of ToledoToledo, OH, USA
| | - James H. Behler
- Department of Pharmacology, Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine, The University of ToledoToledo, OH, USA
| | - Wissam A. AbouAlaiwi
- Department of Pharmacology, Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine, The University of ToledoToledo, OH, USA
| | - Andromeda M. Nauli
- Department of Health Sciences, College of Public Health, East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson City, TN, USA
| | - Frederick E. Williams
- Department of Pharmacology, Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine, The University of ToledoToledo, OH, USA
| | - Surya M. Nauli
- Department of Pharmacology, Colleges of Pharmacy and Medicine, The University of ToledoToledo, OH, USA
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Zhang PC, Llach A, Sheng XY, Hove-Madsen L, Tibbits GF. Calcium handling in zebrafish ventricular myocytes. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2010; 300:R56-66. [PMID: 20926764 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00377.2010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
The zebrafish is an important model for the study of vertebrate cardiac development with a rich array of genetic mutations and biological reagents for functional interrogation. The similarity of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) cardiac action potential with that of humans further enhances the relevance of this model. In spite of this, little is known about excitation-contraction coupling in the zebrafish heart. To address this issue, adult zebrafish cardiomyocytes were isolated by enzymatic perfusion of the cannulated ventricle and were subjected to amphotericin-perforated patch-clamp technique, confocal calcium imaging, and/or measurements of cell shortening. Simultaneous recordings of the voltage dependence of the L-type calcium current (I(Ca,L)) amplitude and cell shortening showed a typical bell-shaped current-voltage (I-V) relationship for I(Ca,L) with a maximum at +10 mV, whereas calcium transients and cell shortening showed a monophasic increase with membrane depolarization that reached a plateau at membrane potentials above +20 mV. Values of I(Ca,L) were 53, 100, and 17% of maximum at -20, +10, and +40 mV, while the corresponding calcium transient amplitudes were 64, 92, and 98% and cell shortening values were 62, 95, and 96% of maximum, respectively, suggesting that I(Ca,L) is the major contributor to the activation of contraction at voltages below +10 mV, whereas the contribution of reverse-mode Na/Ca exchange becomes increasingly more important at membrane potentials above +10 mV. Comparison of the recovery of I(Ca,L) from acute and steady-state inactivation showed that reduction of I(Ca,L) upon elevation of the stimulation frequency is primarily due to calcium-dependent I(Ca,L) inactivation. In conclusion, we demonstrate that a large yield of healthy atrial and ventricular myocytes can be obtained by enzymatic perfusion of the cannulated zebrafish heart. Moreover, zebrafish ventricular myocytes differed from that of large mammals by having larger I(Ca,L) density and a monophasically increasing contraction-voltage relationship, suggesting that caution should be taken upon extrapolation of the functional impact of mutations on calcium handling and contraction in zebrafish cardiomyocytes.
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Jordan MC, Henderson SA, Han T, Fishbein MC, Philipson KD, Roos KP. Myocardial function with reduced expression of the sodium-calcium exchanger. J Card Fail 2010; 16:786-96. [PMID: 20797603 DOI: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2010.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2009] [Revised: 03/04/2010] [Accepted: 03/31/2010] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The complete removal of the cardiac sodium-calcium exchanger (NCX1) is associated with embryonic lethality, whereas its overexpression is linked to heart failure. To determine whether or not a reduced expression of NCX1 is compatible with normal heart structure and function, we studied 2 knockout (KO) mouse models with reduced levels of NCX1: a heterozygous global KO (HG-KO) with a 50% level of NCX1 expression in all myocytes, and a ventricular-specific KO (V-KO) with NCX1 expression in only 10% to 20% of the myocytes. METHODS AND RESULTS Both groups of mice were evaluated at baseline, after transaortic constriction (TAC), and after acute or chronic beta-adrenergic stimulation. At baseline, the HG-KO mice had smaller hearts and the V-KO mice had larger hearts than their wild-type (WT) controls (P < .05). The HG-KO and their control WT mice had normal responses to TAC and beta-adrenergic stimulation. However, the V-KO group was intolerant to TAC and had a significantly (P < .05) blunted response to beta-adrenergic stimulation as compared with the HG-KO mice and WT controls. Unlike the HG-KO mice, the V-KO mice did not tolerate chronic isoproterenol infusion. Telemetric analysis of the electrocardiogram, body temperature, and activity revealed a normal diurnal rhythm in all groups of mice, but confirmed shorter QT intervals along with increased arrhythmias and reduced R wave to P wave amplitude ratios in the V-KO mice. CONCLUSIONS Though NCX1 can be reduced by half in all myocytes without significant functional alterations, it must be expressed in more than 20% of the myocytes to prevent severe remodeling and heart failure in mouse heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria C Jordan
- Department of Physiology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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Dahme T, Katus HA, Rottbauer W. Fishing for the genetic basis of cardiovascular disease. Dis Model Mech 2009; 2:18-22. [PMID: 19132116 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.000687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has recently overtaken infectious disease to become the biggest global killer. Genetic factors have emerged as being of major importance in the pathogenesis of CVD. Owing to disease heterogeneity, variable penetrance and high mortality, human genetic studies alone are not sufficient to elucidate the genetic basis of CVD. Animal models are needed to identify novel genes that are involved in cardiovascular pathology and to verify the effect of suspected disease genes on cardiovascular function. An intriguing model organism is the zebrafish danio rerio. Several features of the zebrafish, such as a closed cardiovascular system, transparency at embryonal stages, rapid and external development, and easily tractable genetics make it ideal for cardiovascular research. Moreover, zebrafish are suitable for forward genetics approaches, which allow the unbiased identification of novel and unanticipated cardiovascular genes. Zebrafish mutants with various cardiovascular phenotypes that closely correlate with human disease, such as congenital heart disease, cardiomyopathies and arrhythmias, have been isolated. The pool of zebrafish mutants, for which the causal gene mutation has been identified, is constantly growing. The human orthologues of several of these zebrafish genes have been shown to be involved in the pathogenesis of human CVD. Cardiovascular zebrafish models also provide the opportunity to develop and test novel therapeutic strategies, using innovative technologies such as high throughput in vivo small molecule screens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tillman Dahme
- Department of Medicine III, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
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60
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Marjamaa A, Laitinen-Forsblom P, Lahtinen AM, Viitasalo M, Toivonen L, Kontula K, Swan H. Search for cardiac calcium cycling gene mutations in familial ventricular arrhythmias resembling catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. BMC MEDICAL GENETICS 2009; 10:12. [PMID: 19216760 PMCID: PMC2667497 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2350-10-12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2008] [Accepted: 02/12/2009] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Background Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a severe inherited cardiac disorder caused by mutations predominantly in the ryanodine receptor (RyR2) gene. We sought to identify mutations in genes affecting cardiac calcium cycling in patients with CPVT and in less typical familial exercise-related ventricular arrhythmias. Methods and Results We recruited 33 consecutive patients with frequent ventricular premature complexes (VPCs) without structural heart disease and often history of syncope or sudden death in family. Sixteen of the patients featured a phenotype typical of CPVT. In 17 patients, VPCs emerged also at rest. Exercise stress test and echocardiography were performed to each patient and 232 family members. Familial background was evident in 42% of cases (n = 14). We sequenced all the coding exons of the RyR2, FKBP1B, ATP2A2 and SLC8A1 genes from the index patients. Single channel recordings of a mutant RyR2 were performed in planar lipid bilayers. Two novel RyR2 missense mutations (R1051P and S616L) and two RyR2 exon 3 deletions were identified, explaining 25% of the CPVT phenotypes. A rare variant (N3308S) with open probabilities similar to the wild type channels in vitro, was evident in a patient with resting VPCs. No disease-causing variants were detectable in the FKBP1B, ATP2A2 or SLC8A1 genes. Conclusion We report two novel CPVT-causing RyR2 mutations and a novel RyR2 variant of uncertain clinical significance in a patient with abundant resting VPCs. Our data also strengthen the previous assumption that exon 3 deletions of RyR2 should screened for in CPVT and related phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annukka Marjamaa
- Department of Cardiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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Milan DJ, Macrae CA. Zebrafish genetic models for arrhythmia. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2009; 98:301-8. [PMID: 19351520 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2009.01.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Over the last decade the zebrafish has emerged as a major genetic model organism. While stimulated originally by the utility of its transparent embryos for the study of vertebrate organogenesis, the success of the zebrafish was consolidated through multiple genetic screens, sequencing of the fish genome by the Sanger Center, and the advent of extensive genomic resources. In the last few years the potential of the zebrafish for in vivo cell biology, physiology, disease modeling and drug discovery has begun to be realized. This review will highlight work on cardiac electrophysiology, emphasizing the arenas in which the zebrafish complements other in vivo and in vitro models; developmental physiology, large-scale screens, high-throughput disease modeling and drug discovery. Much of this work is at an early stage, and so the focus will be on the general principles, the specific advantages of the zebrafish and on future potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Milan
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Incardona JP, Carls MG, Day HL, Sloan CA, Bolton JL, Collier TK, Scholz NL. Cardiac arrhythmia is the primary response of embryonic Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) exposed to crude oil during weathering. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2009; 43:201-207. [PMID: 19209607 DOI: 10.1021/es802270t] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Teleost embryos develop a syndrome characterized by edema when exposed to water that weathers substrates contaminated with crude oil. Previous studies using zebrafish demonstrated that crude oil exposure causes cardiogenic edema, and that the most abundant polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in weathered crude oils (tricyclic fluorenes, dibenzothiophenes, and phenanthrenes) are cardiotoxic, causing arrhythmia through a pathway that does not require activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR). We demonstrate here for Pacific herring, a species impacted by the Exxon Valdez oil spill, that the developing heart is the primary target of crude oil exposure. Herring embryos exposed to the effluent of oiled gravel columns developed dose-dependent edema and irregular cardiac arrhythmia soon afterthe heartbeat was established. At a dose that produced cardiac dysfunction in 100% of exposed embryos, tissue levels of tricyclic PAHs were below 1 micromol/kg, suggesting a specific, high affinity target in the heart. These findings have implications for understanding the mechanism of tricyclic PAH cardiotoxicity, the development of biomarkers for the effects of PAH exposure in fish, and understanding the long-term impacts of oil spills and other sources of PAH pollution in aquatic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P Incardona
- Environmental Conservation Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard E., Seattle, Washington 98112, USA.
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Nguyen CT, Lu Q, Wang Y, Chen JN. Zebrafish as a model for cardiovascular development and disease. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008; 5:135-140. [PMID: 22275951 DOI: 10.1016/j.ddmod.2009.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Catherine T Nguyen
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Leung T, Humbert JE, Stauffer AM, Giger KE, Chen H, Tsai HJ, Wang C, Mirshahi T, Robishaw JD. The orphan G protein-coupled receptor 161 is required for left-right patterning. Dev Biol 2008; 323:31-40. [PMID: 18755178 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2008.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2008] [Revised: 07/28/2008] [Accepted: 08/01/2008] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Gpr161 (also known as RE2) is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) that is expressed during embryonic development in zebrafish. Determining its biological function has proven difficult due to lack of knowledge regarding its natural or synthetic ligands. Here, we show that targeted knockdown of gpr161 disrupts asymmetric gene expression in the lateral plate mesoderm, resulting in aberrant looping of the heart tube. This is associated with elevated Ca(2+) levels in cells lining the Kupffer's vesicle and normalization of Ca(2+) levels, by over-expression of ncx1 or pmca-RNA, is able to partially rescue the cardiac looping defect in gpr161 knockdown embryos. Taken together, these data support a model in which gpr161 plays an essential role in left-right (L-R) patterning by modulating Ca(2+) levels in the cells surrounding the Kupffer's vesicle.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Sequence
- Animals
- Animals, Genetically Modified
- Body Patterning/genetics
- Body Patterning/physiology
- Calcium/metabolism
- Calcium Signaling
- Embryo, Nonmammalian/metabolism
- Embryo, Nonmammalian/physiology
- Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
- In Situ Hybridization
- Models, Biological
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Oligonucleotides, Antisense/pharmacology
- Protein Structure, Tertiary
- Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/genetics
- Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/metabolism
- Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled/physiology
- Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
- Zebrafish/embryology
- Zebrafish/genetics
- Zebrafish/metabolism
- Zebrafish Proteins/antagonists & inhibitors
- Zebrafish Proteins/genetics
- Zebrafish Proteins/metabolism
- Zebrafish Proteins/physiology
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Affiliation(s)
- Tinchung Leung
- Weis Center for Research, Geisinger Clinic, Danville, PA 17822, USA.
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65
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Chi NC, Shaw RM, Jungblut B, Huisken J, Ferrer T, Arnaout R, Scott I, Beis D, Xiao T, Baier H, Jan LY, Tristani-Firouzi M, Stainier DYR. Genetic and physiologic dissection of the vertebrate cardiac conduction system. PLoS Biol 2008; 6:e109. [PMID: 18479184 PMCID: PMC2430899 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0060109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 204] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2007] [Accepted: 03/20/2008] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Vertebrate hearts depend on highly specialized cardiomyocytes that form the cardiac conduction system (CCS) to coordinate chamber contraction and drive blood efficiently and unidirectionally throughout the organism. Defects in this specialized wiring system can lead to syncope and sudden cardiac death. Thus, a greater understanding of cardiac conduction development may help to prevent these devastating clinical outcomes. Utilizing a cardiac-specific fluorescent calcium indicator zebrafish transgenic line, Tg(cmlc2:gCaMP)(s878), that allows for in vivo optical mapping analysis in intact animals, we identified and analyzed four distinct stages of cardiac conduction development that correspond to cellular and anatomical changes of the developing heart. Additionally, we observed that epigenetic factors, such as hemodynamic flow and contraction, regulate the fast conduction network of this specialized electrical system. To identify novel regulators of the CCS, we designed and performed a new, physiology-based, forward genetic screen and identified for the first time, to our knowledge, 17 conduction-specific mutations. Positional cloning of hobgoblin(s634) revealed that tcf2, a homeobox transcription factor gene involved in mature onset diabetes of the young and familial glomerulocystic kidney disease, also regulates conduction between the atrium and the ventricle. The combination of the Tg(cmlc2:gCaMP)(s878) line/in vivo optical mapping technique and characterization of cardiac conduction mutants provides a novel multidisciplinary approach to further understand the molecular determinants of the vertebrate CCS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neil C Chi
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Programs in Developmental Biology, Genetics, and Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Robin M Shaw
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Physiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Benno Jungblut
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Programs in Developmental Biology, Genetics, and Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Jan Huisken
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Programs in Developmental Biology, Genetics, and Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Tania Ferrer
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
- Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Rima Arnaout
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Programs in Developmental Biology, Genetics, and Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Ian Scott
- Program in Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, and Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Dimitris Beis
- Developmental Biology, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Tong Xiao
- Department of Physiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Programs in Neuroscience, Genetics, Human Genetics, and Developmental Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Herwig Baier
- Department of Physiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Programs in Neuroscience, Genetics, Human Genetics, and Developmental Biology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Lily Y Jan
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Programs in Developmental Biology, Genetics, and Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Department of Physiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
| | - Martin Tristani-Firouzi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Didier Y. R Stainier
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics and Programs in Developmental Biology, Genetics, and Human Genetics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
- Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, United States of America
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On C, Marshall CR, Chen N, Moyes CD, Tibbits GF. Gene structure evolution of the Na+-Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) family. BMC Evol Biol 2008; 8:127. [PMID: 18447948 PMCID: PMC2408596 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2148-8-127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2007] [Accepted: 04/30/2008] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The Na+-Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) is an important regulator of cytosolic Ca2+ levels. Many of its structural features are highly conserved across a wide range of species. Invertebrates have a single NCX gene, whereas vertebrate species have multiple NCX genes as a result of at least two duplication events. To examine the molecular evolution of NCX genes and understand the role of duplicated genes in the evolution of the vertebrate NCX gene family, we carried out phylogenetic analyses of NCX genes and compared NCX gene structures from sequenced genomes and individual clones. Results A single NCX in invertebrates and the protochordate Ciona, and the presence of at least four NCX genes in the genomes of teleosts, an amphibian, and a reptile suggest that a four member gene family arose in a basal vertebrate. Extensive examination of mammalian and avian genomes and synteny analysis argue that NCX4 may be lost in these lineages. Duplicates for NCX1, NCX2, and NCX4 were found in all sequenced teleost genomes. The presence of seven genes encoding NCX homologs may provide teleosts with the functional specialization analogous to the alternate splicing strategy seen with the three NCX mammalian homologs. Conclusion We have demonstrated that NCX4 is present in teleost, amphibian and reptilian species but has been secondarily and independently lost in mammals and birds. Comparative studies on conserved vertebrate homologs have provided a possible evolutionary route taken by gene duplicates subfunctionalization by minimizing homolog number.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caly On
- Cardiac Membrane Research Laboratory - Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
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Baldessari D, Mione M. How to create the vascular tree? (Latest) help from the zebrafish. Pharmacol Ther 2008; 118:206-30. [PMID: 18439684 DOI: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2008.02.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2008] [Accepted: 02/19/2008] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The cardiovascular system provides oxygen, nutrients and hormones to organs, it directs traffic of metabolites and it maintains tissue homeostasis. It is one of the first organs assembled during vertebrate development and it is essential to life from early stages to adult. For these reasons, the process of vessel formation has being studied for more than a century, but it is only in the late eighties that there has been an explosion of research in the field with the employment of various in vitro and in vivo model systems. The zebrafish (Danio rerio) offers several advantages for in vivo studies; it played a fundamental role in new discoveries and helped to refine our knowledge of the vascular system. This review recapitulates the zebrafish data on vasculogenesis and angiogenesis, including the specification of the haemangioblasts from the mesoderm, their migration to form the vascular cord followed by axial vessels specification, the primary and secondary sprouting of intersomitic vessels, the formation of the lumen, the arterial versus venous specification and patterning. To emphasize the strengths of the zebrafish system in the vascular field, we summarize main tools, such as gene expression and mutagenesis screens, knock down technologies, transgenic lines and imaging, which played a major role in the development of the field and allowed significant discoveries, for instance the recent visualization of the lymphatic system in zebrafish. This information contributes to the prospective of drug discovery to cure human diseases linked to angiogenesis, not last tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danila Baldessari
- IFOM-IEO Campus (FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology Foundation-European Institute of Oncology), Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milan, Italy.
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68
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Recent papers on zebrafish and other aquarium fish models. Zebrafish 2008; 2:289-97. [PMID: 18248187 DOI: 10.1089/zeb.2005.2.289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Liao BK, Deng AN, Chen SC, Chou MY, Hwang PP. Expression and water calcium dependence of calcium transporter isoforms in zebrafish gill mitochondrion-rich cells. BMC Genomics 2007; 8:354. [PMID: 17915033 PMCID: PMC2140269 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2164-8-354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2007] [Accepted: 10/04/2007] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Freshwater fish absorb Ca2+ predominantly from ambient water, and more than 97% of Ca2+ uptake is achieved by active transport through gill mitochondrion-rich (MR) cells. In the current model for Ca2+ uptake in gill MR cells, Ca2+ passively enters the cytosol via the epithelium Ca2+ channel (ECaC), and then is extruded into the plasma through the basolateral Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) and plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase (PMCA). However, no convincing molecular or cellular evidence has been available to support the role of specific PMCA and/or NCX isoforms in this model. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a good model for analyzing isoforms of a gene because of the plentiful genomic databases and expression sequence tag (EST) data. Results Using a strategy of BLAST from the zebrafish genome database (Sanger Institute), 6 isoforms of PMCAs (PMCA1a, PMCA1b, PMCA2, PMCA3a, PMCA3b, and PMCA4) and 7 isoforms of NCXs (NCX1a, NCX1b, NCX2a, NCX2b, NCX3, NCX4a, and NCX4b) were identified. In the reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis, 5 PMCAs and 2 NCXs were ubiquitously expressed in various tissues including gills. Triple fluorescence in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry showed the colocalization of zecac, zpmca2, and zncx1b mRNAs in a portion of gill MR cells (using Na+-K+-ATPase as the marker), implying a subset of ionocytes specifically responsible for the transepithelial Ca2+ uptake in zebrafish gills. The gene expressions in gills of high- or low-Ca2+-acclimated zebrafish by quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that zecac was the only gene regulated in response to environmental Ca2+ levels, while zpmcas and zncxs remained steady. Conclusion The present study provides molecular evidence for the specific isoforms of Ca2+ transporters, zECaC, zPMCA2, and zNCX1b, supporting the current Ca2+ uptake model, in which ECaC may play a role as the major regulatory target for this mechanism during environmental challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bo-Kai Liao
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Institute of Fisheries Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Ang-Ni Deng
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Institute of Fisheries Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Shyh-Chi Chen
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Ming-Yi Chou
- Institute of Fisheries Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Pung-Pung Hwang
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
- Institute of Fisheries Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC
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70
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Shu X, Huang J, Dong Y, Choi J, Langenbacher A, Chen JN. Na,K-ATPase α2 and Ncx4a regulate zebrafish left-right patterning. Development 2007; 134:1921-30. [PMID: 17442698 DOI: 10.1242/dev.02851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
A conserved molecular cascade involving Nodal signaling that patterns the laterality of the lateral mesoderm in vertebrates has been extensively studied, but processes involved in the initial break of left-right (LR)symmetry are just beginning to be explored. Here we report that Na,K-ATPaseα2 and Ncx4a function upstream of Nodal signaling to regulate LR patterning in zebrafish. Knocking down Na,K-ATPase α2 and Ncx4a activity in dorsal forerunner cells (DFCs), which are precursors of Kupffer's vesicle(KV), is sufficient to disrupt asymmetric gene expression in the lateral plate mesoderm and randomize the placement of internal organs, indicating that the activity of Na,K-ATPase α2 and Ncx4a in DFCs/KV is crucial for LR patterning. High-speed videomicroscopy and bead implantation experiments show that KV cilia are immobile and the directional fluid flow in KV is abolished in Na,K-ATPase α2 and Ncx4a morphants, suggesting their essential role in KV ciliary function. Furthermore, we found that intracellular Ca2+ levels are elevated in Na,K-ATPase α2 and Ncx4a morphants and that the defects in ciliary motility, KV fluid flow and placement of internal organs induced by their knockdown could be suppressed by inhibiting the activity of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II. Together, our data demonstrate that Na,K-ATPase α2 and Ncx4a regulate LR patterning by modulating intracellular calcium levels in KV and by influencing cilia function, revealing a previously unrecognized role for calcium signaling in LR patterning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaodong Shu
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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71
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Schoenebeck JJ, Yelon D. Illuminating cardiac development: Advances in imaging add new dimensions to the utility of zebrafish genetics. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2006; 18:27-35. [PMID: 17241801 PMCID: PMC1876688 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2006.12.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
The use of the zebrafish as a model organism for the analysis of cardiac development is no longer proof-of-principle science. Over the last decade, the identification of a variety of zebrafish mutations and the subsequent cloning of mutated genes have revealed many critical regulators of cardiogenesis. More recently, increasingly sophisticated techniques for phenotypic characterization have facilitated analysis of the specific mechanisms by which key genes drive cardiac specification, morphogenesis, and function. Future enrichment of the arsenal of experimental strategies available for zebrafish should continue the yield of high returns from such a small source.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey J Schoenebeck
- Developmental Genetics Program and Department of Cell Biology, Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 540 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA
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72
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Cunha SR, Bhasin N, Mohler PJ. Targeting and stability of Na/Ca exchanger 1 in cardiomyocytes requires direct interaction with the membrane adaptor ankyrin-B. J Biol Chem 2006; 282:4875-4883. [PMID: 17178715 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m607096200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Na/Ca exchanger activity is important for calcium extrusion from the cardiomyocyte cytosol during repolarization. Animal models exhibiting altered Na/Ca exchanger expression display abnormal cardiac phenotypes. In humans, elevated Na/Ca exchanger expression/activity is linked with pathophysiological conditions including arrhythmia and heart failure. Whereas the molecular mechanisms underlying Na/Ca exchanger biophysical properties are widely studied and generally well characterized, the cellular pathways and molecular partners underlying the specialized membrane localization of Na/Ca exchanger in cardiac tissue are essentially unknown. In this report, we present the first direct evidence for a protein pathway required for Na/Ca exchanger localization and stability in primary cardiomyocytes. We define the minimal structural requirements on ankyrin-B for direct Na/Ca exchanger interactions. Moreover, using ankyrin-B mutants that lack Na/Ca exchanger binding activity, and primary cardiomyocytes with reduced ankyrin-B expression, we demonstrate that direct interaction with the membrane adaptor ankyrin-B is required for the localization and post-translational stability of Na/Ca exchanger 1 in neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes. These results raise exciting new questions regarding potentially dynamic roles for ankyrin proteins in the biogenesis and maintenance of specialized membrane domains in excitable cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane R Cunha
- Departments of University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Naina Bhasin
- Departments of University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
| | - Peter J Mohler
- Departments of University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242; Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology and University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242; Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa 52242.
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73
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Ebert AM, Hume GL, Warren KS, Cook NP, Burns CG, Mohideen MA, Siegal G, Yelon D, Fishman MC, Garrity DM. Calcium extrusion is critical for cardiac morphogenesis and rhythm in embryonic zebrafish hearts. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2005; 102:17705-10. [PMID: 16314582 PMCID: PMC1308882 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0502683102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2005] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Calcium entry into myocytes drives contraction of the embryonic heart. To prepare for the next contraction, myocytes must extrude calcium from intracellular space via the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX1) or sequester it into the sarcoplasmic reticulum, via the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase2 (SERCA2). In mammals, defective calcium extrusion correlates with increased intracellular calcium levels and may be relevant to heart failure and sarcoplasmic dysfunction in adults. We report here that mutation of the cardiac-specific NCX1 (NCX1h) gene causes embryonic lethal cardiac arrhythmia in zebrafish tremblor (tre) embryos. The tre ventricle is nearly silent, whereas the atrium manifests a variety of arrhythmias including fibrillation. Calcium extrusion defects in tre mutants correlate with severe disruptions in sarcomere assembly, whereas mutations in the L-type calcium channel that abort calcium entry do not produce this phenotype. Knockdown of SERCA2 activity by morpholino-mediated translational inhibition or pharmacological inhibition causes embryonic lethality due to defects in cardiac contractility and morphology but, in contrast to tre mutation, does not produce arrhythmia. Analysis of intracellular calcium levels indicates that homozygous tre embryos develop calcium overload, which may contribute to the degeneration of cardiac function in this mutant. Thus, the inhibition of NCX1h versus SERCA2 activity differentially affects the pathophysiology of rhythm in the developing heart and suggests that relative levels of NCX1 and SERCA2 function are essential for normal development.
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Affiliation(s)
- A M Ebert
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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