1
|
Beall MC, Li D, Jang J. Isolation of Embryonic Cardiomyocytes and Cell Proliferation Assay Using Genetically Engineered Reporter Mouse Model. Bio Protoc 2023; 13:e4802. [PMID: 37719080 PMCID: PMC10501920 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is often associated with myogenic defects. During heart development, cardiomyocyte growth requires essential cues from extrinsic factors such as insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2). To determine whether and how growth factors account for embryonic cardiomyocyte proliferation, isolation followed by culturing of embryonic cardiomyocytes can be utilized as a useful tool for heart developmental studies. Current protocols for isolating cardiomyocytes from the heart do not include a cardiomyocyte-specific reporter to distinguish cardiomyocytes from other cell types. To optimize visualization of cardiomyocyte proliferation, our protocol utilizes a Tnnt2-promoter-driven H2B-GFP knock-in mouse model (TNNT2H2B-GFP/+) for in vitro visualization of nuclear-tagged cardiomyocyte-specific fluorescence. A cardiomyocyte-specific genetic reporter paired with an effective proliferation assay improves the reproducibility of mechanistic studies by increasing the accuracy of cell identification, proliferated cell counting, and cardiomyocyte tracking. Key features • This protocol refines previous methods of cardiomyocyte isolation to specifically target embryonic cardiomyocytes. • UsesH2B-GFP/+cardiomyocyte reporters as identified by Yan et al. (2016). • Traces cell proliferation with Phospho-Histone 3 (p-H3) assay. • Has applications in assessing the role of growth factors in cardiomyocyte proliferation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maren C. Beall
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Deqiang Li
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Jihyun Jang
- Center for Cardiovascular Research, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Inefficient development of syncytiotrophoblasts in the Atp11a-deficient mouse placenta. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2200582119. [PMID: 35476530 PMCID: PMC9170144 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2200582119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Plasma membranes are composed of a lipid bilayer in which phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) is confined to the inner leaflet by the action of flippase that translocates PtdSer from the outer to inner leaflets. Two P4-ATPases (ATP11A and ATP11C) work as flippase at plasma membranes. Here, we report that the mouse placenta expresses only ATP11A, and Atp11a-deficient mouse embryos die during embryogenesis due to inefficient formation of syncytiotrophoblasts in the placental labyrinth. The flippase-null mutation inactivates human choriocarcinoma BeWo cells to translocate PtdSer into the inner leaflet and undergo cell fusion. These findings highlight the importance of flippase to regulate the distribution of phospholipids for cell fusion, at least in trophoblast fusion. The P4-ATPases ATP11A and ATP11C function as flippases at the plasma membrane to translocate phosphatidylserine from the outer to the inner leaflet. We herein demonstrated that Atp11a-deficient mouse embryos died at approximately E14.5 with thin-walled heart ventricles. However, the cardiomyocyte- or epiblast-specific Atp11a deletion did not affect mouse development or mortality. ATP11C may have compensated for the function of ATP11A in most of the cell types in the embryo. On the other hand, Atp11a, but not Atp11c, was expressed in the mouse placenta, and the Atp11a-null mutation caused poor development of the labyrinthine layer with an increased number of TUNEL-positive foci. Immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy revealed a disorganized labyrinthine layer with unfused trophoblasts in the Atp11a-null placenta. Human placenta-derived choriocarcinoma BeWo cells expressed the ATP11A and ATP11C genes. A lack of ATP11A and ATP11C eliminated the ability of BeWo cells to flip phosphatidylserine and fuse when treated with forskolin. These results indicate that flippases at the plasma membrane play an important role in the formation of syncytiotrophoblasts in placental development.
Collapse
|
3
|
Das S, Gordián-Vélez WJ, Ledebur HC, Mourkioti F, Rompolas P, Chen HI, Serruya MD, Cullen DK. Innervation: the missing link for biofabricated tissues and organs. NPJ Regen Med 2020; 5:11. [PMID: 32550009 PMCID: PMC7275031 DOI: 10.1038/s41536-020-0096-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Innervation plays a pivotal role as a driver of tissue and organ development as well as a means for their functional control and modulation. Therefore, innervation should be carefully considered throughout the process of biofabrication of engineered tissues and organs. Unfortunately, innervation has generally been overlooked in most non-neural tissue engineering applications, in part due to the intrinsic complexity of building organs containing heterogeneous native cell types and structures. To achieve proper innervation of engineered tissues and organs, specific host axon populations typically need to be precisely driven to appropriate location(s) within the construct, often over long distances. As such, neural tissue engineering and/or axon guidance strategies should be a necessary adjunct to most organogenesis endeavors across multiple tissue and organ systems. To address this challenge, our team is actively building axon-based "living scaffolds" that may physically wire in during organ development in bioreactors and/or serve as a substrate to effectively drive targeted long-distance growth and integration of host axons after implantation. This article reviews the neuroanatomy and the role of innervation in the functional regulation of cardiac, skeletal, and smooth muscle tissue and highlights potential strategies to promote innervation of biofabricated engineered muscles, as well as the use of "living scaffolds" in this endeavor for both in vitro and in vivo applications. We assert that innervation should be included as a necessary component for tissue and organ biofabrication, and that strategies to orchestrate host axonal integration are advantageous to ensure proper function, tolerance, assimilation, and bio-regulation with the recipient post-implant.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Suradip Das
- Center for Brain Injury & Repair, Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration & Restoration, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | - Wisberty J. Gordián-Vélez
- Center for Brain Injury & Repair, Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration & Restoration, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA USA
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | | | - Foteini Mourkioti
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | - Panteleimon Rompolas
- Department of Dermatology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | - H. Isaac Chen
- Center for Brain Injury & Repair, Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration & Restoration, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | - Mijail D. Serruya
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration & Restoration, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA USA
- Department of Neurology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA USA
| | - D. Kacy Cullen
- Center for Brain Injury & Repair, Department of Neurosurgery, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA
- Center for Neurotrauma, Neurodegeneration & Restoration, Corporal Michael J. Crescenz Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA USA
- Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA USA
- Axonova Medical, LLC., Philadelphia, PA USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Glucocorticoids promote structural and functional maturation of foetal cardiomyocytes: a role for PGC-1α. Cell Death Differ 2014; 22:1106-16. [PMID: 25361084 PMCID: PMC4572859 DOI: 10.1038/cdd.2014.181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2014] [Revised: 09/08/2014] [Accepted: 09/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Glucocorticoid levels rise dramatically in late gestation to mature foetal organs in readiness for postnatal life. Immature heart function may compromise survival. Cardiomyocyte glucocorticoid receptor (GR) is required for the structural and functional maturation of the foetal heart in vivo, yet the molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. Here we asked if GR activation in foetal cardiomyocytes in vitro elicits similar maturational changes. We show that physiologically relevant glucocorticoid levels improve contractility of primary-mouse-foetal cardiomyocytes, promote Z-disc assembly and the appearance of mature myofibrils, and increase mitochondrial activity. Genes induced in vitro mimic those induced in vivo and include PGC-1α, a critical regulator of cardiac mitochondrial capacity. SiRNA-mediated abrogation of the glucocorticoid induction of PGC-1α in vitro abolished the effect of glucocorticoid on myofibril structure and mitochondrial oxygen consumption. Using RNA sequencing we identified a number of transcriptional regulators, including PGC-1α, induced as primary targets of GR in foetal cardiomyocytes. These data demonstrate that PGC-1α is a key mediator of glucocorticoid-induced maturation of foetal cardiomyocyte structure and identify other candidate transcriptional regulators that may play critical roles in the transition of the foetal to neonatal heart.
Collapse
|
5
|
Fang X, Mei W, Barbazuk WB, Rivkees SA, Wendler CC. Caffeine exposure alters cardiac gene expression in embryonic cardiomyocytes. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2014; 307:R1471-87. [PMID: 25354728 DOI: 10.1152/ajpregu.00307.2014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies demonstrated that in utero caffeine treatment at embryonic day (E) 8.5 alters DNA methylation patterns, gene expression, and cardiac function in adult mice. To provide insight into the mechanisms, we examined cardiac gene and microRNA (miRNA) expression in cardiomyocytes shortly after exposure to physiologically relevant doses of caffeine. In HL-1 and primary embryonic cardiomyocytes, caffeine treatment for 48 h significantly altered the expression of cardiac structural genes (Myh6, Myh7, Myh7b, Tnni3), hormonal genes (Anp and BnP), cardiac transcription factors (Gata4, Mef2c, Mef2d, Nfatc1), and microRNAs (miRNAs; miR208a, miR208b, miR499). In addition, expressions of these genes were significantly altered in embryonic hearts exposed to in utero caffeine. For in utero experiments, pregnant CD-1 dams were treated with 20-60 mg/kg of caffeine, which resulted in maternal circulation levels of 37.3-65.3 μM 2 h after treatment. RNA sequencing was performed on embryonic ventricles treated with vehicle or 20 mg/kg of caffeine daily from E6.5-9.5. Differential expression (DE) analysis revealed that 124 genes and 849 transcripts were significantly altered, and differential exon usage (DEU) analysis identified 597 exons that were changed in response to prenatal caffeine exposure. Among the DE genes identified by RNA sequencing were several cardiac structural genes and genes that control DNA methylation and histone modification. Pathway analysis revealed that pathways related to cardiovascular development and diseases were significantly affected by caffeine. In addition, global cardiac DNA methylation was reduced in caffeine-treated cardiomyocytes. Collectively, these data demonstrate that caffeine exposure alters gene expression and DNA methylation in embryonic cardiomyocytes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiefan Fang
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; and
| | - Wenbin Mei
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
| | | | - Scott A Rivkees
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; and
| | - Christopher C Wendler
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; and
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Lim JA, Baek HJ, Jang MS, Choi EK, Lee YM, Lee SJ, Lim SC, Kim JY, Kim TH, Kim HS, Mishra L, Kim SS. Loss of β2-spectrin prevents cardiomyocyte differentiation and heart development. Cardiovasc Res 2014; 101:39-47. [PMID: 24064296 PMCID: PMC4229887 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvt222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
AIMS β2-Spectrin is an actin-binding protein that plays an important role in membrane integrity and the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signalling pathway as an adaptor for Smads. Loss of β2-spectrin in mice (Spnb2(-/-)) results in embryonic lethality with gastrointestinal, liver, neural, and heart abnormalities that are similar to those in Smad2(+/-)Smad3(+/-) mice. However, to date, the role of β2-spectrin in embryogenesis, particularly in heart development, has been poorly delineated. Here, we demonstrated that β2-spectrin is required for the survival and differentiation of cardiomyocytes, and its loss resulted in defects in heart development with failure of ventricular wall thickening. METHODS AND RESULTS Disruption of β2-spectrin in primary muscle cells not only inhibited TGF-β/Smad signalling, but also reduced the expression of the cardiomyocyte differentiation markers Nkx2.5, dystrophin, and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). Furthermore, cytoskeletal networks of dystrophin, F-actin, and α-SMA in cardiomyocytes were disorganized upon loss of β2-spectrin. In addition, deletion of β2-spectrin in mice (Spnb2(tm1a/tm1a)) prevented proper development of the heart in association with disintegration of dystrophin structure and markedly reduced survival. CONCLUSION These data suggest that β2-spectrin deficiency leads to inactivation of TGF-β/Smad signalling and contributes to dysregulation of the cell cycle, proliferation, differentiation, and the cytoskeletal network, and it leads to defective heart development. Our data demonstrate that β2-spectrin is required for proper development of the heart and that disruption of β2-spectrin is a potential underlying cause of congenital heart defects.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jeong A. Lim
- Radiation Medicine Branch, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Goyang 410-769, Korea
| | - Hye Jung Baek
- Radiation Medicine Branch, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Goyang 410-769, Korea
| | - Moon Sun Jang
- Radiation Medicine Branch, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Goyang 410-769, Korea
| | - Eun Kyoung Choi
- Radiation Medicine Branch, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Goyang 410-769, Korea
| | - Yong Min Lee
- Radiation Medicine Branch, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Goyang 410-769, Korea
| | - Sang Jin Lee
- Genitourinary Cancer Branch, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea
| | - Sung Chul Lim
- Department of Pathology, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea
| | - Joo Young Kim
- Radiation Medicine Branch, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Goyang 410-769, Korea
| | - Tae Hyun Kim
- Radiation Medicine Branch, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Goyang 410-769, Korea
| | - Hye Sun Kim
- Department of Biological Science, Ajou University, Suwon, Korea
| | - Lopa Mishra
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Sang Soo Kim
- Radiation Medicine Branch, National Cancer Center, 323 Ilsan-ro, Ilsandong-gu, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, Goyang 410-769, Korea
- Corresponding author. Tel: +82 319202491; fax: +82 319202494,
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Zhang J, Chang JJ, Xu F, Ma XJ, Wu Y, Li WC, Wang HJ, Huang GY, Ma D. MicroRNA Deregulation in Right Ventricular Outflow Tract Myocardium in Nonsyndromic Tetralogy of Fallot. Can J Cardiol 2013; 29:1695-703. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cjca.2013.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2013] [Revised: 07/02/2013] [Accepted: 07/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
|
8
|
Velecela V, Lettice LA, Chau YY, Slight J, Berry RL, Thornburn A, Gunst QD, van den Hoff M, Reina M, Martínez FO, Hastie ND, Martínez-Estrada OM. WT1 regulates the expression of inhibitory chemokines during heart development. Hum Mol Genet 2013; 22:5083-95. [PMID: 23900076 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddt358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The embryonic epicardium is an important source of cardiovascular precursor cells and paracrine factors that are required for adequate heart formation. Signaling pathways regulated by WT1 that promote heart development have started to be described; however, there is little information on signaling pathways regulated by WT1 that could act in a negative manner. Transcriptome analysis of Wt1KO epicardial cells reveals an unexpected role for WT1 in repressing the expression of interferon-regulated genes that could be involved in a negative regulation of heart morphogenesis. Here, we showed that WT1 is required to repress the expression of the chemokines Ccl5 and Cxcl10 in epicardial cells. We observed an inverse correlation of Wt1 and the expression of Cxcl10 and Ccl5 during epicardium development. Chemokine receptor analyses of hearts from Wt1(gfp/+) mice demonstrate the differential expression of their chemokine receptors in GFP(+) epicardial enriched cells and GFP(-) cells. Functional assays demonstrate that CXCL10 and CCL5 inhibit epicardial cells migration and the proliferation of cardiomyocytes respectively. WT1 regulates the expression levels of Cxcl10 and Ccl5 in epicardial cells directly and indirectly through increasing the levels of IRF7. As epicardial cell reactivation after a myocardial damage is linked with WT1 expression, the present work has potential implications in adult heart repair.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Victor Velecela
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Edinburgh EH4 2XU, UK
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|