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Payne FM, Nie S, Diffee GM, Wilkins GT, Larsen DS, Harrison JC, Baldi JC, Sammut IA. The carbon monoxide prodrug oCOm-21 increases Ca 2+ sensitivity of the cardiac myofilament. Physiol Rep 2024; 12:e15974. [PMID: 38491822 PMCID: PMC10943376 DOI: 10.14814/phy2.15974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Patients undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass procedures require inotropic support to improve hemodynamic function and cardiac output. Current inotropes such as dobutamine, can promote arrhythmias, prompting a demand for improved inotropes with little effect on intracellular Ca2+ flux. Low-dose carbon monoxide (CO) induces inotropic effects in perfused hearts. Using the CO-releasing pro-drug, oCOm-21, we investigated if this inotropic effect results from an increase in myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity. Male Sprague Dawley rat left ventricular cardiomyocytes were permeabilized, and myofilament force was measured as a function of -log [Ca2+ ] (pCa) in the range of 9.0-4.5 under five conditions: vehicle, oCOm-21, the oCOm-21 control BP-21, and levosimendan, (9 cells/group). Ca2+ sensitivity was assessed by the Ca2+ concentration at which 50% of maximal force is produced (pCa50 ). oCOm-21, but not BP-21 significantly increased pCa50 compared to vehicle, respectively (pCa50 5.52 vs. 5.47 vs. 5.44; p < 0.05). No change in myofilament phosphorylation was seen after oCOm-21 treatment. Pretreatment of cardiomyocytes with the heme scavenger hemopexin, abolished the Ca2+ sensitizing effect of oCOm-21. These results support the hypothesis that oCOm-21-derived CO increases myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity through a heme-dependent mechanism but not by phosphorylation. Further analyses will confirm if this Ca2+ sensitizing effect occurs in an intact heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fergus M. Payne
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and ToxicologyUniversity of OtagoDunedinOtagoNew Zealand
- Otago Medical School, Department of MedicineUniversity of OtagoDunedinOtagoNew Zealand
- HeartOtagoUniversity of OtagoDunedinNew Zealand
| | - Samantha Nie
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and ToxicologyUniversity of OtagoDunedinOtagoNew Zealand
- HeartOtagoUniversity of OtagoDunedinNew Zealand
| | - Gary M. Diffee
- Department of KinesiologyUniversity of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - Gerard T. Wilkins
- Otago Medical School, Department of MedicineUniversity of OtagoDunedinOtagoNew Zealand
- HeartOtagoUniversity of OtagoDunedinNew Zealand
| | - David S. Larsen
- School of Science, Department of ChemistryUniversity of OtagoDunedinOtagoNew Zealand
| | - Joanne C. Harrison
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and ToxicologyUniversity of OtagoDunedinOtagoNew Zealand
- HeartOtagoUniversity of OtagoDunedinNew Zealand
| | - James C. Baldi
- Otago Medical School, Department of MedicineUniversity of OtagoDunedinOtagoNew Zealand
- HeartOtagoUniversity of OtagoDunedinNew Zealand
| | - Ivan A. Sammut
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Pharmacology and ToxicologyUniversity of OtagoDunedinOtagoNew Zealand
- HeartOtagoUniversity of OtagoDunedinNew Zealand
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2
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Tanner BCW, Awinda PO, Agonias KB, Attili S, Blair CA, Thompson MS, Walker LA, Kampourakis T, Campbell KS. Sarcomere length affects Ca2+ sensitivity of contraction in ischemic but not non-ischemic myocardium. J Gen Physiol 2023; 155:213800. [PMID: 36633584 PMCID: PMC9859763 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.202213200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
In healthy hearts, myofilaments become more sensitive to Ca2+ as the myocardium is stretched. This effect is known as length-dependent activation and is an important cellular-level component of the Frank-Starling mechanism. Few studies have measured length-dependent activation in the myocardium from failing human hearts. We investigated whether ischemic and non-ischemic heart failure results in different length-dependent activation responses at physiological temperature (37°C). Myocardial strips from the left ventricular free wall were chemically permeabilized and Ca2+-activated at sarcomere lengths (SLs) of 1.9 and 2.3 µm. Data were acquired from 12 hearts that were explanted from patients receiving cardiac transplants; 6 had ischemic heart failure and 6 had non-ischemic heart failure. Another 6 hearts were obtained from organ donors. Maximal Ca2+-activated force increased at longer SL for all groups. Ca2+ sensitivity increased with SL in samples from donors (P < 0.001) and patients with ischemic heart failure (P = 0.003) but did not change with SL in samples from patients with non-ischemic heart failure. Compared with donors, troponin I phosphorylation decreased in ischemic samples and even more so in non-ischemic samples; cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) phosphorylation also decreased with heart failure. These findings support the idea that troponin I and cMyBP-C phosphorylation promote length-dependent activation and show that length-dependent activation of contraction is blunted, yet extant, in the myocardium from patients with ischemic heart failure and further reduced in the myocardium from patients with non-ischemic heart failure. Patients who have a non-ischemic disease may exhibit a diminished contractile response to increased ventricular filling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bertrand C W Tanner
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University , Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Peter O Awinda
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University , Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Keinan B Agonias
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University , Pullman, WA, USA
| | - Seetharamaiah Attili
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London , London, UK
| | - Cheavar A Blair
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky , Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Mindy S Thompson
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky , Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Lori A Walker
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus , Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Thomas Kampourakis
- Randall Centre for Cell and Molecular Biophysics, King's College London , London, UK
| | - Kenneth S Campbell
- Department of Physiology, University of Kentucky , Lexington, KY, USA.,Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Kentucky , Lexington, KY, USA
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3
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Kimmig F, Caruel M, Chapelle D. Varying thin filament activation in the framework of the Huxley'57 model. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL METHODS IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING 2022; 38:e3655. [PMID: 36210493 DOI: 10.1002/cnm.3655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Muscle contraction is triggered by the activation of the actin sites of the thin filament by calcium ions. It results that the thin filament activation level varies over time. Moreover, this activation process is also used as a regulation mechanism of the developed force. Our objective is to build a model of varying actin site activation level within the classical Huxley'57 two-state framework. This new model is obtained as an enhancement of a previously proposed formulation of the varying thick filament activation within the same framework. We assume that the state of an actin site depends on whether it is activated and whether it forms a cross-bridge with the associated myosin head, which results in four possible states. The transitions between the actin site states are controlled by the global actin sites activation level and the dynamics of these transitions is coupled with the attachment-detachment process. A preliminary calibration of the model with experimental twitch contraction data obtained at varying sarcomere lengths is performed.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Kimmig
- LMS, École Polytechnique, CNRS, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Palaiseau, France
- Inria, Palaiseau, France
| | - Matthieu Caruel
- CNRS, UMR 8208, MSME, Univ Paris Est Creteil, Univ Gustave Eiffel, Créteil, France
| | - Dominique Chapelle
- LMS, École Polytechnique, CNRS, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Palaiseau, France
- Inria, Palaiseau, France
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4
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Han J, Taberner AJ, Loiselle DS, Tran K. Cardiac efficiency and Starling's Law of the Heart. J Physiol 2022; 600:4265-4285. [PMID: 35998082 PMCID: PMC9826111 DOI: 10.1113/jp283632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The formulation by Starling of The Law of the Heart states that 'the [mechanical] energy of contraction, however measured, is a function of the length of the muscle fibre'. Starling later also stated that 'the oxygen consumption of the isolated heart … is determined by its diastolic volume, and therefore by the initial length of its muscular fibres'. This phrasing has motivated us to extend Starling's Law of the Heart to include consideration of the efficiency of contraction. In this study, we assessed both mechanical efficiency and crossbridge efficiency by studying the heat output of isolated rat ventricular trabeculae performing force-length work-loops over ranges of preload and afterload. The combination of preload and afterload allowed us, using our modelling frameworks for the end-systolic zone and the heat-force zone, to simulate cases by recreating physiologically feasible loading conditions. We found that across all cases examined, both work output and change of enthalpy increased with initial muscle length; hence it can only be that the former increases more than the latter to yield increased mechanical efficiency. In contrast, crossbridge efficiency increased with initial muscle length in cases where the extent of muscle shortening varied greatly with preload. We conclude that the efficiency of cardiac contraction increases with increasing initial muscle length and preload. An implication of our conclusion is that the length-dependent activation mechanism underlying the cellular basis of Starling's Law of the Heart is an energetically favourable process that increases the efficiency of cardiac contraction. KEY POINTS: Ernest Starling in 1914 formulated the Law of the Heart to describe the mechanical property of cardiac muscle whereby force of contraction increases with muscle length. He subsequently, in 1927, showed that the oxygen consumption of the heart is also a function of the length of the muscle fibre, but left the field unclear as to whether cardiac efficiency follows the same dependence. A century later, the field has gained an improved understanding of the factors, including the distinct effects of preload and afterload, that affect cardiac efficiency. This understanding presents an opportunity for us to investigate the elusive length-dependence of cardiac efficiency. We found that, by simulating physiologically feasible loading conditions using a mechano-energetics framework, cardiac efficiency increased with initial muscle length. A broader physiological importance of our findings is that the underlying cellular basis of Starling's Law of the Heart is an energetically favourable process that yields increased efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- June‐Chiew Han
- Auckland Bioengineering InstituteUniversity of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand
| | - Andrew J. Taberner
- Auckland Bioengineering InstituteUniversity of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand,Department of Engineering ScienceUniversity of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand
| | - Denis S. Loiselle
- Auckland Bioengineering InstituteUniversity of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand,Department of PhysiologyUniversity of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand
| | - Kenneth Tran
- Auckland Bioengineering InstituteUniversity of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand
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5
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Dowrick JM, Tran K, Garrett AS, Anderson AJ, Nielsen PMF, Taberner AJ, Han JC. Work-loop contractions reveal that the afterload-dependent time course of cardiac Ca 2+ transients is modulated by preload. J Appl Physiol (1985) 2022; 133:663-675. [PMID: 35771221 PMCID: PMC9762964 DOI: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00137.2022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Preload and afterload dictate the dynamics of the cyclical work-loop contraction that the heart undergoes in vivo. Cellular Ca2+ dynamics drive contraction, but the effects of afterload alone on the Ca2+ transient are inconclusive. To our knowledge, no study has investigated whether the putative afterload dependence of the Ca2+ transient is preload dependent. This study is designed to provide the first insight into the Ca2+ handling of cardiac trabeculae undergoing work-loop contractions, with the aim to examine whether the conflicting afterload dependency of the Ca2+ transient can be accounted for by considering preload under isometric and physiological work-loop contractions. Thus, we subjected ex vivo rat right-ventricular trabeculae, loaded with the fluorescent dye Fura-2, to work-loop contractions over a wide range of afterloads at two preloads while measuring stress, length changes, and Ca2+ transients. Work-loop control was implemented with a real-time Windkessel model to mimic the contraction patterns of the heart in vivo. We extracted a range of metrics from the measured steady-state twitch stress and Ca2+ transients, including the amplitudes, time courses, rates of rise, and integrals. Results show that parameters of stress were afterload and preload dependent. In contrast, the parameters associated with Ca2+ transients displayed a mixed dependence on afterload and preload. Most notably, its time course was afterload dependent, an effect augmented at the greater preload. This study reveals that the afterload dependence of cardiac Ca2+ transients is modulated by preload, which brings the study of Ca2+ transients during isometric contractions into question when aiming to understand physiological Ca2+ handling.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study is the first examination of Ca2+ handling in trabeculae undergoing work-loop contractions. These data reveal that reducing preload diminishes the influence of afterload on the decay phase of the cardiac Ca2+ transient. This is significant as it reconciles inconsistencies in the literature regarding the influence of external loads on cardiac Ca2+ handling. Furthermore, these findings highlight discrepancies between Ca2+ handling during isometric and work-loop contractions in cardiac trabeculae operating at their optimal length.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jarrah M. Dowrick
- 1Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Kenneth Tran
- 1Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Amy S. Garrett
- 1Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Alex J. Anderson
- 1Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Poul M. F. Nielsen
- 1Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand,2Department of Engineering Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Andrew J. Taberner
- 1Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand,2Department of Engineering Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - June-Chiew Han
- 1Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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Kopylova GV, Berg VY, Kochurova AM, Matyushenko AM, Bershitsky SY, Shchepkin DV. The effects of the tropomyosin cardiomyopathy mutations on the calcium regulation of actin-myosin interaction in the atrium and ventricle differ. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2021; 588:29-33. [PMID: 34942531 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.12.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis of atrial myopathy associated with hypertrophic (HCM) and dilated (DCM) mutations of sarcomeric proteins are still poorly understood. For this, one needs to investigate the effects of the mutations on actin-myosin interaction in the atria separately from ventricles. We compared the impact of the HCM and DCM mutations of tropomyosin (Tpm) on the calcium regulation of the thin filament interaction with atrial and ventricular myosin using an in vitro motility assay. We found that the mutations differently affect the calcium regulation of actin-myosin interaction in the atria and ventricles. The DCM E40K Tpm mutation significantly reduced the maximum sliding velocity of thin filaments with ventricular myosin and its Ca2+-sensitivity. With atrial myosin, its effects were less pronounced. The HCM I172T mutation reduced the Ca2+-sensitivity of the sliding velocity of filaments with ventricular myosin but increased it with the atrial one. The HCM L185R mutation did not affect actin-myosin interaction in the atria. The results indicate that the difference in the effects of Tpm mutations on the actin-myosin interaction in the atria and ventricles may be responsible for the difference in pathological changes in the atrial and ventricular myocardium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Galina V Kopylova
- Institute of Immunology and Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Valentina Y Berg
- Institute of Immunology and Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Anastasia M Kochurova
- Institute of Immunology and Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Alexander M Matyushenko
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Research Center of Biotechnology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey Y Bershitsky
- Institute of Immunology and Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia
| | - Daniil V Shchepkin
- Institute of Immunology and Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russia.
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7
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Kawai M, Jin JP. Mechanisms of Frank-Starling law of the heart and stretch activation in striated muscles may have a common molecular origin. J Muscle Res Cell Motil 2021; 42:355-366. [PMID: 33575955 PMCID: PMC10905364 DOI: 10.1007/s10974-020-09595-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Vertebrate cardiac muscle generates progressively larger systolic force when the end diastolic chamber volume is increased, a property called the "Frank-Starling Law", or "length dependent activation (LDA)". In this mechanism a larger force develops when the sarcomere length (SL) increased, and the overlap between thick and thin filament decreases, indicating increased production of force per unit length of the overlap. To account for this phenomenon at the molecular level, we examined several hypotheses: as the muscle length is increased, (1) lattice spacing decreases, (2) Ca2+ sensitivity increases, (3) titin mediated rearrangement of myosin heads to facilitate actomyosin interaction, (4) increased SL activates cross-bridges (CBs) in the super relaxed state, (5) increased series stiffness at longer SL promotes larger elementary force/CB to account for LDA, and (6) stretch activation (SA) observed in insect muscles and LDA in vertebrate muscles may have similar mechanisms. SA is also known as delayed tension or oscillatory work, and universally observed among insect flight muscles, as well as in vertebrate skeletal and cardiac muscles. The sarcomere stiffness observed in relaxed muscles may significantly contributes to the mechanisms of LDA. In vertebrate striated muscles, the sarcomere stiffness is mainly caused by titin, a single filamentary protein spanning from Z-line to M-line and tightly associated with the myosin thick filament. In insect flight muscles, kettin connects Z-line and the thick filament to stabilize the sarcomere structure. In vertebrate cardiac muscles, titin plays a similar role, and may account for LDA and may constitute a molecular mechanism of Frank-Starling response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masataka Kawai
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, University of Iowa College of Medicine, 1-324 BSB, 51 Newton Rd, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA.
| | - Jian-Ping Jin
- Departmewnt of Physiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA
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8
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Limbu S, Prosser BL, Lederer WJ, Ward CW, Jafri MS. X-ROS Signaling Depends on Length-Dependent Calcium Buffering by Troponin. Cells 2021; 10:cells10051189. [PMID: 34068012 PMCID: PMC8152234 DOI: 10.3390/cells10051189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The stretching of a cardiomyocyte leads to the increased production of reactive oxygen species that increases ryanodine receptor open probability through a process termed X-ROS signaling. The stretching of the myocyte also increases the calcium affinity of myofilament Troponin C, which increases its calcium buffering capacity. Here, an integrative experimental and modeling study is pursued to explain the interplay of length-dependent changes in calcium buffering by troponin and stretch-activated X-ROS calcium signaling. Using this combination, we show that the troponin C-dependent increase in myoplasmic calcium buffering during myocyte stretching largely offsets the X-ROS-dependent increase in calcium release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The combination of modeling and experiment are further informed by the elimination of length-dependent changes to troponin C calcium binding in the presence of blebbistatin. Here, the model suggests that it is the X-ROS signaling-dependent Ca2+ release increase that serves to maintain free myoplasmic calcium concentrations during a change in myocyte length. Together, our experimental and modeling approaches have further defined the relative contributions of X-ROS signaling and the length-dependent calcium buffering by troponin in shaping the myoplasmic calcium transient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarita Limbu
- School of Systems Biology and The Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA;
| | - Benjamin L. Prosser
- Department of Physiology, Pennsylvania Muscle Institute, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA;
| | - William J. Lederer
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 20201, USA;
| | - Christopher W. Ward
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology and Department of Orthopaedics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 20201, USA;
| | - Mohsin S. Jafri
- School of Systems Biology and The Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA;
- Center for Biomedical Engineering and Technology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 20201, USA;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-703-993-8420
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9
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Regazzoni F, Dedè L, Quarteroni A. Biophysically detailed mathematical models of multiscale cardiac active mechanics. PLoS Comput Biol 2020; 16:e1008294. [PMID: 33027247 PMCID: PMC7571720 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1008294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2020] [Revised: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We propose four novel mathematical models, describing the microscopic mechanisms of force generation in the cardiac muscle tissue, which are suitable for multiscale numerical simulations of cardiac electromechanics. Such models are based on a biophysically accurate representation of the regulatory and contractile proteins in the sarcomeres. Our models, unlike most of the sarcomere dynamics models that are available in the literature and that feature a comparable richness of detail, do not require the time-consuming Monte Carlo method for their numerical approximation. Conversely, the models that we propose only require the solution of a system of PDEs and/or ODEs (the most reduced of the four only involving 20 ODEs), thus entailing a significant computational efficiency. By focusing on the two models that feature the best trade-off between detail of description and identifiability of parameters, we propose a pipeline to calibrate such parameters starting from experimental measurements available in literature. Thanks to this pipeline, we calibrate these models for room-temperature rat and for body-temperature human cells. We show, by means of numerical simulations, that the proposed models correctly predict the main features of force generation, including the steady-state force-calcium and force-length relationships, the length-dependent prolongation of twitches and increase of peak force, the force-velocity relationship. Moreover, they correctly reproduce the Frank-Starling effect, when employed in multiscale 3D numerical simulation of cardiac electromechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Regazzoni
- MOX - Dipartimento di Matematica, Politecnico di Milano, P.zza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Luca Dedè
- MOX - Dipartimento di Matematica, Politecnico di Milano, P.zza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
| | - Alfio Quarteroni
- MOX - Dipartimento di Matematica, Politecnico di Milano, P.zza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milano, Italy
- Mathematics Institute, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Av. Piccard, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland (Professor Emeritus)
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10
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Lookin O. The use of Ca-transient to evaluate Ca 2+ utilization by myofilaments in living cardiac muscle. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 2020; 47:1824-1833. [PMID: 32654202 DOI: 10.1111/1440-1681.13376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Revised: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The kinetics of Ca2+ interaction with myofilaments is an important determinant of the preload-dependent effects on myocardial contractility (the Frank-Starling Mechanism). However, the direct evaluation of this interaction in intact tissue is limited. To overcome this issue, the method of difference curve was proposed, which implements the subtraction of the referent Ca-transient (measured in non-stretched muscle) from the Ca-transients measured at different preloads. This method was tested on the cardiac trabeculae of healthy (CONT) and monocrotaline-treated rats (MCT), subjected to force-length protocol with simultaneous measurement of isometric twitch and Ca-transient. The difference curve had two components, C2 and C3, which are distinct in their directions and, as hypothesized, may reflect mainly the kinetics of Ca2+ utilization by and release from myofilaments, respectively. Both the components were quantitatively evaluated by their amplitude, integral magnitude and time-to-peak. The C3 component in either CONT or MCT was significantly higher in its amplitude/integral magnitude vs the C2 component, at any preload (P < .05). The time-to-peak value was preload-dependent only for the C3 component. There were tight relationships between the above characteristics of C2/C3 components and the characteristics of isometric tension (peak value, time-to-peak and the maximal rates of rise/decline) in CONT and MCT muscles. The C3 component was highly consistent with tension relaxation (Ca2+ release from myofilaments), but the C2 component was partially consistent with tension development (Ca2+ utilization by myofilaments). The novel method of the analysis of Ca-transients can be utilized for indirect evaluation of Ca2+ interaction with myofilaments in healthy and diseased myocardium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oleg Lookin
- Institute of Immunology and Physiology, Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation.,The Center for Fundamental Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Institute of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, Russian Federation
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11
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Reda SM, Chandra M. Dilated cardiomyopathy mutation (R174W) in troponin T attenuates the length-mediated increase in cross-bridge recruitment and myofilament Ca 2+ sensitivity. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2019; 317:H648-H657. [PMID: 31373515 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00171.2019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Alterations in length-dependent activation (LDA) may constitute a mechanism by which cardiomyopathy mutations lead to deleterious phenotypes and compromised heart function, because LDA underlies the molecular basis by which the heart tunes myocardial force production on a beat-to-beat basis (Frank-Starling mechanism). In this study, we investigated the effect of DCM-linked mutation (R173W) in human cardiac troponin T (TnT) on myofilament LDA. R173W mutation is associated with left ventricular dilatation and systolic dysfunction and is found in multiple families. R173W mutation is in the central region (residues 80-180) of TnT, which is known to be important for myofilament cooperativity and cross-bridge (XB) recruitment. Steady-state and dynamic contractile parameters were measured in detergent-skinned guinea pig left ventricular muscle fibers reconstituted with recombinant guinea pig wild-type TnT (TnTWT) or mutant TnT (TnTR174W; guinea pig analog of human R173W mutation) at two different sarcomere lengths (SL): short (1.9 µm) and long (2.3 µm). TnTR174W decreased pCa50 (-log [Ca2+]free required for half-maximal activation) to a greater extent at long than at short SL; for example, pCa50 decreased by 0.12 pCa units at long SL and by 0.06 pCa units at short SL. Differential changes in pCa50 at short and long SL attenuated the SL-dependent increase in myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity (ΔpCa50) in TnTR174W fibers; ΔpCa50 was 0.10 units in TnTWT fibers but only 0.04 units in TnTR174W fibers. Furthermore, TnTR174W blunted the SL-dependent increase in the magnitude of XB recruitment. Our observations suggest that the R173W mutation in human cardiac TnT may impair Frank-Starling mechanism.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This work characterizes the effect of dilated cardiomyopathy mutation in cardiac troponin T (TnTR174W) on myofilament length-dependent activation. TnTR174W attenuates the length-dependent increase in cross-bridge recruitment and myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sherif M Reda
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
| | - Murali Chandra
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
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12
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Li KL, Methawasin M, Tanner BCW, Granzier HL, Solaro RJ, Dong WJ. Sarcomere length-dependent effects on Ca 2+-troponin regulation in myocardium expressing compliant titin. J Gen Physiol 2018; 151:30-41. [PMID: 30523116 PMCID: PMC6314383 DOI: 10.1085/jgp.201812218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2018] [Accepted: 11/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Increases in sarcomere length cause enhanced force generation in cardiomyocytes by an unknown mechanism. Li et al. reveal that titin-based passive tension contributes to length-dependent activation of myofilaments and that tightly bound myosin–actin cross-bridges are associated with this effect. Cardiac performance is tightly regulated at the cardiomyocyte level by sarcomere length, such that increases in sarcomere length lead to sharply enhanced force generation at the same Ca2+ concentration. Length-dependent activation of myofilaments involves dynamic and complex interactions between a multitude of thick- and thin-filament components. Among these components, troponin, myosin, and the giant protein titin are likely to be key players, but the mechanism by which these proteins are functionally linked has been elusive. Here, we investigate this link in the mouse myocardium using in situ FRET techniques. Our objective was to monitor how length-dependent Ca2+-induced conformational changes in the N domain of cardiac troponin C (cTnC) are modulated by myosin–actin cross-bridge (XB) interactions and increased titin compliance. We reconstitute FRET donor- and acceptor-modified cTnC(13C/51C)AEDANS-DDPM into chemically skinned myocardial fibers from wild-type and RBM20-deletion mice. The Ca2+-induced conformational changes in cTnC are quantified and characterized using time-resolved FRET measurements as XB state and sarcomere length are varied. The RBM20-deficient mouse expresses a more compliant N2BA titin isoform, leading to reduced passive tension in the myocardium. This provides a molecular tool to investigate how altered titin-based passive tension affects Ca2+-troponin regulation in response to mechanical stretch. In wild-type myocardium, we observe a direct association of sarcomere length–dependent enhancement of troponin regulation with both Ca2+ activation and strongly bound XB states. In comparison, measurements from titin RBM20-deficient animals show blunted sarcomere length–dependent effects. These results suggest that titin-based passive tension contributes to sarcomere length–dependent Ca2+-troponin regulation. We also conclude that strong XB binding plays an important role in linking the modulatory effect of titin compliance to Ca2+-troponin regulation of the myocardium.
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Affiliation(s)
- King-Lun Li
- Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Mei Methawasin
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
| | - Bertrand C W Tanner
- Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
| | - Henk L Granzier
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
| | - R John Solaro
- The Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Center for Cardiovascular Research, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
| | - Wen-Ji Dong
- Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA .,Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA
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13
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Bohlooli Ghashghaee N, Tanner BCW, Dong WJ. Functional significance of C-terminal mobile domain of cardiac troponin I. Arch Biochem Biophys 2017; 634:38-46. [PMID: 28958680 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2017.09.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2017] [Accepted: 09/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Ca2+-regulation of cardiac contractility is mediated through the troponin complex, which comprises three subunits: cTnC, cTnI, and cTnT. As intracellular [Ca2+] increases, cTnI reduces its binding interactions with actin to primarily interact with cTnC, thereby enabling contraction. A portion of this regulatory switching involves the mobile domain of cTnI (cTnI-MD), the role of which in muscle contractility is still elusive. To study the functional significance of cTnI-MD, we engineered two cTnI constructs in which the MD was truncated to various extents: cTnI(1-167) and cTnI(1-193). These truncations were exchanged for endogenous cTnI in skinned rat papillary muscle fibers, and their influence on Ca2+-activated contraction and cross-bridge cycling kinetics was assessed at short (1.9 μm) and long (2.2 μm) sarcomere lengths (SLs). Our results show that the cTnI(1-167) truncation diminished the SL-induced increase in Ca2+-sensitivity of contraction, but not the SL-dependent increase in maximal tension, suggesting an uncoupling between the thin and thick filament contributions to length dependent activation. Compared to cTnI(WT), both truncations displayed greater Ca2+-sensitivity and faster cross-bridge attachment rates at both SLs. Furthermore, cTnI(1-167) slowed MgADP release rate and enhanced cross-bridge binding. Our findings imply that cTnI-MD truncations affect the blocked-to closed-state transition(s) and destabilize the closed-state position of tropomyosin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nazanin Bohlooli Ghashghaee
- The Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Bertrand C W Tanner
- The Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA
| | - Wen-Ji Dong
- The Gene and Linda Voiland School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA; The Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164, USA.
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14
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Mickelson AV, Chandra M. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mutation in cardiac troponin T (R95H) attenuates length-dependent activation in guinea pig cardiac muscle fibers. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2017; 313:H1180-H1189. [PMID: 28842439 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00369.2017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Revised: 08/07/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The central region of cardiac troponin T (TnT) is important for modulating the dynamics of muscle length-mediated cross-bridge recruitment. Therefore, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy mutations in the central region may affect cross-bridge recruitment dynamics to alter myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity and length-dependent activation of cardiac myofilaments. Given the importance of the central region of TnT for cardiac contractile dynamics, we studied if hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-linked mutation (TnTR94H)-induced effects on contractile function would be differently modulated by sarcomere length (SL). Recombinant wild-type TnT (TnTWT) and the guinea pig analog of the human R94H mutation (TnTR95H) were reconstituted into detergent-skinned cardiac muscle fibers from guinea pigs. Steady-state and dynamic contractile measurements were made at short and long SLs (1.9 and 2.3 µm, respectively). Our results demonstrated that TnTR95H increased pCa50 (-log of free Ca2+ concentration) to a greater extent at short SL; TnTR95H increased pCa50 by 0.11 pCa units at short SL and 0.07 pCa units at long SL. The increase in pCa50 associated with an increase in SL from 1.9 to 2.3 µm (ΔpCa50) was attenuated nearly twofold in TnTR95H fibers; ΔpCa50 was 0.09 pCa units for TnTWT fibers but only 0.05 pCa units for TnTR95H fibers. The SL dependency of rate constants of cross-bridge distortion dynamics and tension redevelopment was also blunted by TnTR95H Collectively, our observations on the SL dependency of pCa50 and rate constants of cross-bridge distortion dynamics and tension redevelopment suggest that mechanisms underlying the length-dependent activation cardiac myofilaments are attenuated by TnTR95HNEW & NOTEWORTHY Mutant cardiac troponin T (TnTR95H) differently affects myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity at short and long sarcomere length, indicating that mechanisms underlying length-dependent activation are altered by TnTR95H TnTR95H enhances myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity to a greater extent at short sarcomere length, thus attenuating the length-dependent increase in myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis V Mickelson
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
| | - Murali Chandra
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
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15
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Abstract
The Frank-Starling Law dictates that the heart is able to match ejection to the dynamic changes occurring during cardiac filling, hence efficiently regulating isovolumetric contraction and shortening. In the last four decades, efforts have been made to identify a common fundamental basis for the Frank-Starling heart that can explain the direct relationship between muscle lengthening and its increased sensitization to Ca2+. The term 'myofilament length-dependent activation' describes the length-dependent properties of the myofilaments, but what is(are) the underlying molecular mechanism(s) is a matter of ongoing debate. Length-dependent activation increases formation of thick-filament strongly-bound cross-bridges on actin and imposes structural-mechanical alterations on the thin-filament with greater than normal bound Ca2+. Stretch-induced effects, rather than changes in filament spacing, appear to be primarily involved in the regulation of length-dependent activation. Here, evidence is provided to support the notion that stretch-mediated effects induced by titin govern alterations of thick-filament force-producing cross-bridges and thin-filament Ca2+-cooperative responses.
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16
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Schotola H, Sossalla ST, Renner A, Gummert J, Danner BC, Schott P, Toischer K. The contractile adaption to preload depends on the amount of afterload. ESC Heart Fail 2017; 4:468-478. [PMID: 29154423 PMCID: PMC5695189 DOI: 10.1002/ehf2.12164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2017] [Revised: 02/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Aims The Frank–Starling mechanism (rapid response (RR)) and the secondary slow response (SR) are known to contribute to increases contractile performance. The contractility of the heart muscle is influenced by pre‐load and after‐load. Because of the effect of pre‐load vs. after‐load on these mechanisms in not completely understood, we studied the effect in isolated muscle strips. Methods and results Progressive stretch lead to an increase in shortening/force development under isotonic (only pre‐load) and isometric conditions (pre‐ and after‐load). Muscle length with maximal function was reached earlier under isotonic (Lmax‐isotonic) compared with isometric conditions (Lmax‐isometric) in nonfailing rabbit, in human atrial and in failing ventricular muscles. Also, SR after stretch from slack to Lmax‐isotonic was comparable under isotonic and isometric conditions (human: isotonic 10 ± 4%, isometric 10 ± 4%). Moreover, a switch from isotonic to isometric conditions at Lmax‐isometric showed no SR proving independence of after‐load. To further analyse the degree of SR on the total contractile performance at higher pre‐load muscles were stretched from slack to 98% Lmax‐isometric under isotonic conditions. Thereby, the SR was 60 ± 9% in rabbit and 51 ± 14% in human muscle strips. Conclusions This work shows that the acute contractile response largely depends on the degree and type of mechanical load. Increased filling of the heart elevates pre‐load and prolongs the isotonic part of contraction. The reduction in shortening at higher levels of pre‐load is thereby partially compensated by the pre‐load‐induced SR. After‐load shifts the contractile curve to a better ‘myofilament function’ by probably influencing thin fibers and calcium sensitivity, but has no effect on the SR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Schotola
- Department of Anesthesiology, Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Samuel T Sossalla
- Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany
| | - André Renner
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Heart and Diabetes Center NRW, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
| | - Jan Gummert
- Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Heart and Diabetes Center NRW, Bad Oeynhausen, Germany
| | - Bernhard C Danner
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Peter Schott
- Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany
| | - Karl Toischer
- Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, Georg-August-University, Goettingen, Germany.,DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research) partnersite Göttingen, Germany
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17
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Titin strain contributes to the Frank-Starling law of the heart by structural rearrangements of both thin- and thick-filament proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:2306-11. [PMID: 26858417 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1516732113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Frank-Starling mechanism of the heart is due, in part, to modulation of myofilament Ca(2+) sensitivity by sarcomere length (SL) [length-dependent activation (LDA)]. The molecular mechanism(s) that underlie LDA are unknown. Recent evidence has implicated the giant protein titin in this cellular process, possibly by positioning the myosin head closer to actin. To clarify the role of titin strain in LDA, we isolated myocardium from either WT or homozygous mutant (HM) rats that express a giant splice isoform of titin, and subjected the muscles to stretch from 2.0 to 2.4 μm of SL. Upon stretch, HM compared with WT muscles displayed reduced passive force, twitch force, and myofilament LDA. Time-resolved small-angle X-ray diffraction measurements of WT twitching muscles during diastole revealed stretch-induced increases in the intensity of myosin (M2 and M6) and troponin (Tn3) reflections, as well as a reduction in cross-bridge radial spacing. Independent fluorescent probe analyses in relaxed permeabilized myocytes corroborated these findings. X-ray electron density reconstruction revealed increased mass/ordering in both thick and thin filaments. The SL-dependent changes in structure observed in WT myocardium were absent in HM myocardium. Overall, our results reveal a correlation between titin strain and the Frank-Starling mechanism. The molecular basis underlying this phenomenon appears not to involve interfilament spacing or movement of myosin toward actin but, rather, sarcomere stretch-induced simultaneous structural rearrangements within both thin and thick filaments that correlate with titin strain and myofilament LDA.
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18
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Dutov P, Antipova O, Varma S, Orgel JPRO, Schieber JD. Measurement of Elastic Modulus of Collagen Type I Single Fiber. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0145711. [PMID: 26800120 PMCID: PMC4723153 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0145711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2015] [Accepted: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Collagen fibers are the main components of the extra cellular matrix and the primary contributors to the mechanical properties of tissues. Here we report a novel approach to measure the longitudinal component of the elastic moduli of biological fibers under conditions close to those found in vivo and apply it to type I collagen from rat tail tendon. This approach combines optical tweezers, atomic force microscopy, and exploits Euler-Bernoulli elasticity theory for data analysis. This approach also avoids drying for measurements or visualization, since samples are freshly extracted. Importantly, strains are kept below 0.5%, which appear consistent with the linear elastic regime. We find, surprisingly, that the longitudinal elastic modulus of type I collagen cannot be represented by a single quantity but rather is a distribution that is broader than the uncertainty of our experimental technique. The longitudinal component of the single-fiber elastic modulus is between 100 MPa and 360 MPa for samples extracted from different rats and/or different parts of a single tail. Variations are also observed in the fibril-bundle/fibril diameter with an average of 325±40 nm. Since bending forces depend on the diameter to the fourth power, this variation in diameter is important for estimating the range of elastic moduli. The remaining variations in the modulus may be due to differences in composition of the fibril-bundles, or the extent of the proteoglycans constituting fibril-bundles, or that some single fibrils may be of fibril-bundle size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavel Dutov
- Center For Molecular Study Of Condensed Soft Matter, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States of America.,Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States of America
| | - Olga Antipova
- Center For Molecular Study Of Condensed Soft Matter, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States of America.,Departments of, Biology, Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States of America.,BioCAT, Sector 18, APS/Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave. Argonne, IL, United States of America
| | - Sameer Varma
- Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Department of Physics, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, United States of America
| | - Joseph P R O Orgel
- Center For Molecular Study Of Condensed Soft Matter, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States of America.,Departments of, Biology, Physics and Biomedical Engineering, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States of America.,BioCAT, Sector 18, APS/Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 S. Cass Ave. Argonne, IL, United States of America
| | - Jay D Schieber
- Center For Molecular Study Of Condensed Soft Matter, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States of America.,Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States of America.,Department of Physics, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, United States of America
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19
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Sequeira V, van der Velden J. Historical perspective on heart function: the Frank-Starling Law. Biophys Rev 2015; 7:421-447. [PMID: 28510104 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-015-0184-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2015] [Accepted: 09/21/2015] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
More than a century of research on the Frank-Starling Law has significantly advanced our knowledge about the working heart. The Frank-Starling Law mandates that the heart is able to match cardiac ejection to the dynamic changes occurring in ventricular filling and thereby regulates ventricular contraction and ejection. Significant efforts have been attempted to identify a common fundamental basis for the Frank-Starling heart and, although a unifying idea has still to come forth, there is mounting evidence of a direct relationship between length changes in individual constituents (cardiomyocytes) and their sensitivity to Ca2+ ions. As the Frank-Starling Law is a vital event for the healthy heart, it is of utmost importance to understand its mechanical basis in order to optimize and organize therapeutic strategies to rescue the failing human heart. The present review is a historic perspective on cardiac muscle function. We "revive" a century of scientific research on the heart's fundamental protein constituents (contractile proteins), to their assemblies in the muscle (the sarcomeres), culminating in a thorough overview of the several synergistically events that compose the Frank-Starling mechanism. It is the authors' personal beliefs that much can be gained by understanding the Frank-Starling relationship at the cellular and whole organ level, so that we can finally, in this century, tackle the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying heart failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasco Sequeira
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Cardiovascular Research, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Jolanda van der Velden
- Department of Physiology, Institute for Cardiovascular Research, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,ICIN- Netherlands Heart Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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20
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Zhang M, Martin JL, Kumar M, Khairallah RJ, de Tombe PP. Rapid large-scale purification of myofilament proteins using a cleavable His6-tag. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2015; 309:H1509-15. [PMID: 26386113 PMCID: PMC4666967 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00598.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
With the advent of high-throughput DNA sequencing, the number of identified cardiomyopathy-causing mutations has increased tremendously. As the majority of these mutations affect myofilament proteins, there is a need to understand their functional consequence on contraction. Permeabilized myofilament preparations coupled with protein exchange protocols are a common method for examining into contractile mechanics. However, producing large quantities of myofilament proteins can be time consuming and requires different approaches for each protein of interest. In the present study, we describe a unified automated method to produce troponin C, troponin T, and troponin I as well as myosin light chain 2 fused to a His6-tag followed by a tobacco etch virus (TEV) protease site. TEV protease has the advantage of a relaxed P1' cleavage site specificity, allowing for no residues left after proteolysis and preservation of the native sequence of the protein of interest. After expression in Esherichia coli, cells were lysed by sonication in imidazole-containing buffer. The His6-tagged protein was then purified using a HisTrap nickel metal affinity column, and the His6-tag was removed by His6-TEV protease digestion for 4 h at 30°C. The protease was then removed using a HisTrap column, and complex assembly was performed via column-assisted sequential desalting. This mostly automated method allows for the purification of protein in 1 day and can be adapted to most soluble proteins. It has the advantage of greatly increasing yield while reducing the time and cost of purification. Therefore, production and purification of mutant proteins can be accelerated and functional data collected in a faster, less expensive manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengjie Zhang
- Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Jody L Martin
- Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Mohit Kumar
- Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Ramzi J Khairallah
- Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Pieter P de Tombe
- Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois
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21
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Tanner BCW, Breithaupt JJ, Awinda PO. Myosin MgADP release rate decreases at longer sarcomere length to prolong myosin attachment time in skinned rat myocardium. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2015; 309:H2087-97. [PMID: 26475586 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00555.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2015] [Accepted: 10/05/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Cardiac contractility increases as sarcomere length increases, suggesting that intrinsic molecular mechanisms underlie the Frank-Starling relationship to confer increased cardiac output with greater ventricular filling. The capacity of myosin to bind with actin and generate force in a muscle cell is Ca(2+) regulated by thin-filament proteins and spatially regulated by sarcomere length as thick-to-thin filament overlap varies. One mechanism underlying greater cardiac contractility as sarcomere length increases could involve longer myosin attachment time (ton) due to slowed myosin kinetics at longer sarcomere length. To test this idea, we used stochastic length-perturbation analysis in skinned rat papillary muscle strips to measure ton as [MgATP] varied (0.05-5 mM) at 1.9 and 2.2 μm sarcomere lengths. From this ton-MgATP relationship, we calculated cross-bridge MgADP release rate and MgATP binding rates. As MgATP increased, ton decreased for both sarcomere lengths, but ton was roughly 70% longer for 2.2 vs. 1.9 μm sarcomere length at maximally activated conditions. These ton differences were driven by a slower MgADP release rate at 2.2 μm sarcomere length (41 ± 3 vs. 74 ± 7 s(-1)), since MgATP binding rate was not different between the two sarcomere lengths. At submaximal activation levels near the pCa50 value of the tension-pCa relationship for each sarcomere length, length-dependent increases in ton were roughly 15% longer for 2.2 vs. 1.9 μm sarcomere length. These changes in cross-bridge kinetics could amplify cooperative cross-bridge contributions to force production and thin-filament activation at longer sarcomere length and suggest that length-dependent changes in myosin MgADP release rate may contribute to the Frank-Starling relationship in the heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bertrand C W Tanner
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
| | - Jason J Breithaupt
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
| | - Peter O Awinda
- Department of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington
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22
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In situ time-resolved FRET reveals effects of sarcomere length on cardiac thin-filament activation. Biophys J 2015; 107:682-693. [PMID: 25099807 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2014.05.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2013] [Revised: 05/10/2014] [Accepted: 05/13/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
During cardiac thin-filament activation, the N-domain of cardiac troponin C (N-cTnC) binds to Ca(2+) and interacts with the actomyosin inhibitory troponin I (cTnI). The interaction between N-cTnC and cTnI stabilizes the Ca(2+)-induced opening of N-cTnC and is presumed to also destabilize cTnI-actin interactions that work together with steric effects of tropomyosin to inhibit force generation. Recently, our in situ steady-state FRET measurements based on N-cTnC opening suggested that at long sarcomere length, strongly bound cross-bridges indirectly stabilize this Ca(2+)-sensitizing N-cTnC-cTnI interaction through structural effects on tropomyosin and cTnI. However, the method previously used was unable to determine whether N-cTnC opening depends on sarcomere length. In this study, we used time-resolved FRET to monitor the effects of cross-bridge state and sarcomere length on the Ca(2+)-dependent conformational behavior of N-cTnC in skinned cardiac muscle fibers. FRET donor (AEDANS) and acceptor (DDPM)-labeled double-cysteine mutant cTnC(T13C/N51C)AEDANS-DDPM was incorporated into skinned muscle fibers to monitor N-cTnC opening. To study the structural effects of sarcomere length on N-cTnC, we monitored N-cTnC opening at relaxing and saturating levels of Ca(2+) and 1.80 and 2.2-μm sarcomere length. Mg(2+)-ADP and orthovanadate were used to examine the structural effects of noncycling strong-binding and weak-binding cross-bridges, respectively. We found that the stabilizing effect of strongly bound cross-bridges on N-cTnC opening (which we interpret as transmitted through related changes in cTnI and tropomyosin) become diminished by decreases in sarcomere length. Additionally, orthovanadate blunted the effect of sarcomere length on N-cTnC conformational behavior such that weak-binding cross-bridges had no effect on N-cTnC opening at any tested [Ca(2+)] or sarcomere length. Based on our findings, we conclude that the observed sarcomere length-dependent positive feedback regulation is a key determinant in the length-dependent Ca(2+) sensitivity of myofilament activation and consequently the mechanism underlying the Frank-Starling law of the heart.
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23
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Land S, Niederer SA. A Spatially Detailed Model of Isometric Contraction Based on Competitive Binding of Troponin I Explains Cooperative Interactions between Tropomyosin and Crossbridges. PLoS Comput Biol 2015; 11:e1004376. [PMID: 26262582 PMCID: PMC4532474 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2015] [Accepted: 06/03/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Biophysical models of cardiac tension development provide a succinct representation of our understanding of force generation in the heart. The link between protein kinetics and interactions that gives rise to high cooperativity is not yet fully explained from experiments or previous biophysical models. We propose a biophysical ODE-based representation of cross-bridge (XB), tropomyosin and troponin within a contractile regulatory unit (RU) to investigate the mechanisms behind cooperative activation, as well as the role of cooperativity in dynamic tension generation across different species. The model includes cooperative interactions between regulatory units (RU-RU), between crossbridges (XB-XB), as well more complex interactions between crossbridges and regulatory units (XB-RU interactions). For the steady-state force-calcium relationship, our framework predicts that: (1) XB-RU effects are key in shifting the half-activation value of the force-calcium relationship towards lower [Ca2+], but have only small effects on cooperativity. (2) XB-XB effects approximately double the duty ratio of myosin, but do not significantly affect cooperativity. (3) RU-RU effects derived from the long-range action of tropomyosin are a major factor in cooperative activation, with each additional unblocked RU increasing the rate of additional RU’s unblocking. (4) Myosin affinity for short (1–4 RU) unblocked stretches of actin of is very low, and the resulting suppression of force at low [Ca2+] is a major contributor in the biphasic force-calcium relationship. We also reproduce isometric tension development across mouse, rat and human at physiological temperature and pacing rate, and conclude that species differences require only changes in myosin affinity and troponin I/troponin C affinity. Furthermore, we show that the calcium dependence of the rate of tension redevelopment ktr is explained by transient blocking of RU’s by a temporary decrease in XB-RU effects. Force generation in cardiac muscle cells is driven by changes in calcium concentration. Relatively small changes in the calcium concentration over the course of a heart beat lead to the large changes in force required to fully contract and relax the heart. This is known as ‘cooperative activation’, and involves a complex interaction of several proteins involved in contraction. Current computer models which reproduce force generation often do not represent these processes explicitly, and stochastic approaches that do tend to require large amounts of computational power to solve, which limit the range of investigations in which they can be used. We have created an new computational model that captures the underlying physiological processes in more detail, and is more efficient than stochastic approaches, while still being able to run a large range of simulations. The model is able to explain the biological processes leading to the cooperative activation of muscle. In addition, the model reproduces how this cooperative activation translates to normal muscle function to generate force from changes in calcium across three different species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sander Land
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - Steven A. Niederer
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, King’s College London, United Kingdom
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Hughes DC, Wallace MA, Baar K. Effects of aging, exercise, and disease on force transfer in skeletal muscle. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2015; 309:E1-E10. [PMID: 25968577 PMCID: PMC4490334 DOI: 10.1152/ajpendo.00095.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2015] [Accepted: 05/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
The loss of muscle strength and increased injury rate in aging skeletal muscle has previously been attributed to loss of muscle protein (cross-sectional area) and/or decreased neural activation. However, it is becoming clear that force transfer within and between fibers plays a significant role in this process as well. Force transfer involves a secondary matrix of proteins that align and transmit the force produced by the thick and thin filaments along muscle fibers and out to the extracellular matrix. These specialized networks of cytoskeletal proteins aid in passing force through the muscle and also serve to protect individual fibers from injury. This review discusses the cytoskeleton proteins that have been identified as playing a role in muscle force transmission, both longitudinally and laterally, and where possible highlights how disease, aging, and exercise influence the expression and function of these proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- David C Hughes
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, California
| | - Marita A Wallace
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, California
| | - Keith Baar
- Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California Davis, Davis, California
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25
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Syomin FA. A simple kinetic model of myocardium contraction: Calcium-mechanics coupling. Biophysics (Nagoya-shi) 2014. [DOI: 10.1134/s0006350914050224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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26
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Mamidi R, Gresham KS, Stelzer JE. Length-dependent changes in contractile dynamics are blunted due to cardiac myosin binding protein-C ablation. Front Physiol 2014; 5:461. [PMID: 25520665 PMCID: PMC4251301 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2014] [Accepted: 11/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Enhanced cardiac contractile function with increased sarcomere length (SL) is, in part, mediated by a decrease in the radial distance between myosin heads and actin. The radial disposition of myosin heads relative to actin is modulated by cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C), suggesting that cMyBP-C contributes to the length-dependent activation (LDA) in the myocardium. However, the precise roles of cMyBP-C in modulating cardiac LDA are unclear. To determine the impact of cMyBP-C on LDA, we measured isometric force, myofilament Ca2+-sensitivity (pCa50) and length-dependent changes in kinetic parameters of cross-bridge (XB) relaxation (krel), and recruitment (kdf) due to rapid stretch, as well as the rate of force redevelopment (ktr) in response to a large slack-restretch maneuver in skinned ventricular multicellular preparations isolated from the hearts of wild-type (WT) and cMyBP-C knockout (KO) mice, at SL's 1.9 μm or 2.1 μm. Our results show that maximal force was not significantly different between KO and WT preparations but length-dependent increase in pCa50 was attenuated in the KO preparations. pCa50 was not significantly different between WT and KO preparations at long SL (5.82 ± 0.02 in WT vs. 5.87 ± 0.02 in KO), whereas pCa50 was significantly different between WT and KO preparations at short SL (5.71 ± 0.02 in WT vs. 5.80 ± 0.01 in KO; p < 0.05). The ktr, measured at half-maximal Ca2+-activation, was significantly accelerated at short SL in WT preparations (8.74 ± 0.56 s−1 at 1.9 μm vs. 5.71 ± 0.40 s−1 at 2.1 μm, p < 0.05). Furthermore, krel and kdf were accelerated by 32% and 50%, respectively at short SL in WT preparations. In contrast, ktr was not altered by changes in SL in KO preparations (8.03 ± 0.54 s−1 at 1.9 μm vs. 8.90 ± 0.37 s−1 at 2.1 μm). Similarly, KO preparations did not exhibit length-dependent changes in krel and kdf. Collectively, our data implicate cMyBP-C as an important regulator of LDA via its impact on dynamic XB behavior due to changes in SL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ranganath Mamidi
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Kenneth S Gresham
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Julian E Stelzer
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH, USA
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27
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Lakin R, Wright S, Polidovitch N. Hook, line and sinker: adult zebrafish offer a valid model to study mammalian cardiac contractile mechanics. J Physiol 2014; 592:4609-10. [PMID: 25194043 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2014.281410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- R Lakin
- Department of Exercise Sciences, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - S Wright
- Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - N Polidovitch
- Department of Physiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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28
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Cardiac tissue structure, properties, and performance: a materials science perspective. Ann Biomed Eng 2014; 42:2003-13. [PMID: 25081385 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-014-1071-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
From an engineering perspective, many forms of heart disease can be thought of as a reduction in biomaterial performance, in which the biomaterial is the tissue comprising the ventricular wall. In materials science, the structure and properties of a material are recognized to be interconnected with performance. In addition, for most measurements of structure, properties, and performance, some processing is required. Here, we review the current state of knowledge regarding cardiac tissue structure, properties, and performance as well as the processing steps taken to acquire those measurements. Understanding the impact of these factors and their interactions may enhance our understanding of heart function and heart failure. We also review design considerations for cardiac tissue property and performance measurements because, to date, most data on cardiac tissue has been obtained under non-physiological loading conditions. Novel measurement systems that account for these design considerations may improve future experiments and lead to greater insight into cardiac tissue structure, properties, and ultimately performance.
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Metalnikova NA, Tsaturyan AK. A mechanistic model of Ca regulation of thin filaments in cardiac muscle. Biophys J 2014; 105:941-50. [PMID: 23972846 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2013.06.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2013] [Revised: 04/20/2013] [Accepted: 06/19/2013] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
We present a model of Ca-regulated thin filaments in cardiac muscle where tropomyosin is treated as a continuous elastic chain confined in the closed position on the actin helix by electrostatic forces. The main distinction from previous works is that the intrinsic stress-free helical shape of the tropomyosin chain was taken into account explicitly. This results in the appearance of a new, to our knowledge, tension-like term in the energy functional and the equilibrium equation. The competitive binding of calcium and the mobile segment of troponin-I to troponin-C were described by a simple kinetic scheme. The values of dimensionless model parameters were estimated from published data. A stochastic Monte Carlo simulation of calcium curves has been performed and its results were compared to published data. The model explains the high cooperativity of calcium response of the regulated thin filaments even in the absence of myosin heads. The binding of myosin heads to actin increases the calcium sensitivity while not affecting its cooperativity significantly. When the presence of calcium-insensitive troponin-C was simulated in the model, both calcium sensitivity and cooperativity decreased. All these features were previously observed experimentally.
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Li AY, Stevens CM, Liang B, Rayani K, Little S, Davis J, Tibbits GF. Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy related cardiac troponin C L29Q mutation alters length-dependent activation and functional effects of phosphomimetic troponin I*. PLoS One 2013; 8:e79363. [PMID: 24260207 PMCID: PMC3832503 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2013] [Accepted: 09/27/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The Ca(2+) binding properties of the FHC-associated cardiac troponin C (cTnC) mutation L29Q were examined in isolated cTnC, troponin complexes, reconstituted thin filament preparations, and skinned cardiomyocytes. While higher Ca(2+) binding affinity was apparent for the L29Q mutant in isolated cTnC, this phenomenon was not observed in the cTn complex. At the level of the thin filament in the presence of phosphomimetic TnI, L29Q cTnC further reduced the Ca(2+) affinity by 27% in the steady-state measurement and increased the Ca(2+) dissociation rate by 20% in the kinetic studies. Molecular dynamics simulations suggest that L29Q destabilizes the conformation of cNTnC in the presence of phosphomimetic cTnI and potentially modulates the Ca(2+) sensitivity due to the changes of the opening/closing equilibrium of cNTnC. In the skinned cardiomyocyte preparation, L29Q cTnC increased Ca(2+) sensitivity in a highly sarcomere length (SL)-dependent manner. The well-established reduction of Ca(2+) sensitivity by phosphomimetic cTnI was diminished by 68% in the presence of the mutation and it also depressed the SL-dependent increase in myofilament Ca(2+) sensitivity. This might result from its modified interaction with cTnI which altered the feedback effects of cross-bridges on the L29Q cTnC-cTnI-Tm complex. This study demonstrates that the L29Q mutation alters the contractility and the functional effects of the phosphomimetic cTnI in both thin filament and single skinned cardiomyocytes and importantly that this effect is highly sarcomere length dependent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alison Y. Li
- Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Charles M. Stevens
- Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Bo Liang
- Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Kaveh Rayani
- Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sean Little
- Physiology and Cell Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbia, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Jonathan Davis
- Physiology and Cell Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbia, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Glen F. Tibbits
- Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada
- Cardiovascular Sciences, Child and Family Research Institute, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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31
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Venkataraman R, Baldo MP, Hwang HS, Veltri T, Pinto JR, Baudenbacher FJ, Knollmann BC. Myofilament calcium de-sensitization and contractile uncoupling prevent pause-triggered ventricular tachycardia in mouse hearts with chronic myocardial infarction. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2013; 60:8-15. [PMID: 23570978 PMCID: PMC3683590 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2013.03.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2013] [Revised: 03/11/2013] [Accepted: 03/30/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Myocardial infarction (MI) is a major risk for ventricular arrhythmia. Pause-triggered ventricular arrhythmia can be caused by increased myofilament Ca binding due to sarcomeric mutations or Ca-sensitizing compounds. Myofilament Ca sensitivity is also increased after MI. Here we hypothesize that MI increases risk for pause-triggered ventricular arrhythmias, which can be prevented by myofilament Ca-desensitization and contractile uncoupling. To test this hypothesis, we generated a murine chronic MI model using male B6SJLF1/J mice (n=40) that underwent permanent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. 4 weeks post MI, cardiac structure, function and myofilament Ca sensitivity were evaluated. Pause-dependent arrhythmia susceptibility was quantified in isolated hearts with pacing trains of increasing frequency, followed by a pause and an extra stimulus. Coronary ligation resulted in a mean infarct size of 39.6±5.7% LV and fractional shortening on echocardiography was reduced by 40% compared to non-infarcted controls. Myofilament Ca sensitivity was significantly increased in post MI hearts (pCa50: Control=5.66±0.03; MI=5.84±0.05; P<0.01). Exposure to the Ca desensitizer/contractile uncoupler blebbistatin (BLEB, 3 μM) reduced myofilament Ca sensitivity of MI hearts to that of control hearts and selectively reduced the frequency of post-pause ectopic beats (MI 0.12±0.04 vs MI+BLEB 0.01±0.005 PVC/pause; P=0.02). BLEB also reduced the incidence of ventricular tachycardia in chronic MI hearts from 59% to 10% (P<0.05). We conclude that chronic MI hearts exhibit increased myofilament Ca sensitivity and pause-triggered ventricular arrhythmias, which can be prevented by blebbistatin. Decreasing myofilament Ca sensitivity may be a strategy to reduce arrhythmia burden after MI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raghav Venkataraman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Physics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232-0575, USA
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32
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Abstract
We focus here on the modulation of thin filament activity by cardiac troponin I phosphorylation as an integral and adaptive mechanism in cardiac homeostasis and as a mechanism vulnerable to maladaptive response to stress. We discuss a current concept of cardiac troponin I function in the A-band region of the sarcomere and potential signaling to cardiac troponin I in a network involving the ends of the thin filaments at the Z-disk and the M-band regions. The cardiac sarcomere represents a remarkable set of interacting proteins that functions not only as a molecular machine generating the heartbeat but also as a hub of signaling. We review how phosphorylation signaling to cardiac troponin I is integrated, with parallel signals controlling excitation-contraction coupling, hypertrophy, and metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- R John Solaro
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics and Center for Cardiovascular Research, University of Illinois at Chicago, College of Medicine, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
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Length-dependent effects on cardiac contractile dynamics are different in cardiac muscle containing α- or β-myosin heavy chain. Arch Biochem Biophys 2012; 535:3-13. [PMID: 23111184 DOI: 10.1016/j.abb.2012.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2012] [Revised: 10/12/2012] [Accepted: 10/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Actomyosin crossbridges (XBs) are the fundamental source of force generation and pressure development in the myocardium. Faster kinetics are imparted on XBs comprised of the fast, α-myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform, whereas slower kinetics are imparted on XBs comprised of the slow, β-MHC isoform. Other factors, such as sarcomere length (SL), influence XB formation, presumably acting through allosteric effects on the kinetics that regulate the XB cycle. We sought to determine whether the slower XB kinetics of β-MHC were more sensitive to such length-dependent effects than those of α-MHC. We studied the SL effects on mechanical properties of demembranated muscle fibers from normal and propylthiouracil-treated mouse hearts, which expressed predominantly α-MHC or β-MHC, respectively. Interestingly, XB detachment kinetics were more length-sensitive in β-MHC fibers, as estimated by tension cost and XB detachment rate constant (c), and as inferred by ktr. The nonlinearity in force responses to various-amplitude step-like changes in muscle length was more pronounced in β-MHC fibers. This phenomenon is attributed to a greater cooperative/allosteric mechanism in β-MHC fibers, as estimated by model parameter γ. These data suggest a mechanism whereby greater cooperative/allosteric effects impart an enhanced length-sensitivity of XB cycling kinetics in fibers containing the slower cycling β-MHC.
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34
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Korte FS, Feest ER, Razumova MV, Tu AY, Regnier M. Enhanced Ca2+ binding of cardiac troponin reduces sarcomere length dependence of contractile activation independently of strong crossbridges. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2012; 303:H863-70. [PMID: 22865385 PMCID: PMC3469702 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00395.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2012] [Accepted: 07/26/2012] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Calcium sensitivity of the force-pCa relationship depends strongly on sarcomere length (SL) in cardiac muscle and is considered to be the cellular basis of the Frank-Starling law of the heart. SL dependence may involve changes in myofilament lattice spacing and/or myosin crossbridge orientation to increase probability of binding to actin at longer SLs. We used the L48Q cardiac troponin C (cTnC) variant, which has enhanced Ca(2+) binding affinity, to test the hypotheses that the intrinsic properties of cTnC are important in determining 1) thin filament binding site availability and responsiveness to crossbridge activation and 2) SL dependence of force in cardiac muscle. Trabeculae containing L48Q cTnC-cTn lost SL dependence of the Ca(2+) sensitivity of force. This occurred despite maintaining the typical SL-dependent changes in maximal force (F(max)). Osmotic compression of preparations at SL 2.0 μm with 3% dextran increased F(max) but not pCa(50) in L48Q cTnC-cTn exchanged trabeculae, whereas wild-type (WT)-cTnC-cTn exchanged trabeculae exhibited increases in both F(max) and pCa(50). Furthermore, crossbridge inhibition with 2,3-butanedione monoxime at SL 2.3 μm decreased F(max) and pCa(50) in WT cTnC-cTn trabeculae to levels measured at SL 2.0 μm, whereas only F(max) was decreased with L48Q cTnC-cTn. Overall, these results suggest that L48Q cTnC confers reduced crossbridge dependence of thin filament activation in cardiac muscle and that changes in the Ca(2+) sensitivity of force in response to changes in SL are at least partially dependent on properties of thin filament troponin.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Steven Korte
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7962, USA
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35
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Han JC, Tran K, Taberner AJ, Nickerson DP, Kirton RS, Nielsen PMF, Ward ML, Nash MP, Crampin EJ, Loiselle DS. Myocardial twitch duration and the dependence of oxygen consumption on pressure-volume area: experiments and modelling. J Physiol 2012; 590:4603-22. [PMID: 22570375 PMCID: PMC3477760 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2012.228965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2012] [Accepted: 05/02/2012] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
We tested the proposition that linear length dependence of twitch duration underlies the well-characterised linear dependence of oxygen consumption (V(O(2)) ) on pressure–volume area (PVA) in the heart. By way of experimental simplification, we reduced the problem from three dimensions to one by substituting cardiac trabeculae for the classically investigated whole-heart. This allowed adoption of stress–length area (SLA) as a surrogate for PVA, and heat as a proxy for V(O(2)) . Heat and stress (force per cross-sectional area), at a range of muscle lengths and at both 1 mM and 2 mM [Ca(2+)](o), were recorded from continuously superfused rat right-ventricular trabeculae undergoing fixed-end contractions. The heat–SLA relations of trabeculae (reported here, for the first time) are linear. Twitch duration increases monotonically (but not strictly linearly) with muscle length. We probed the cellular mechanisms of this phenomenon by determining: (i) the length dependence of the duration of the Ca(2+) transient, (ii) the length dependence of the rate of force redevelopment following a length impulse (an index of Ca(2+) binding to troponin-C), (iii) the effect on the simulated time course of the twitch of progressive deletion of length and Ca(2+)-dependent mechanisms of crossbridge cooperativity, using a detailed mathematical model of the crossbridge cycle, and (iv) the conditions required to achieve these multiple length dependencies, using a greatly simplified model of twitch mechano-energetics. From the results of these four independent investigations, we infer that the linearity of the heat–SLA relation (and, by analogy, the V(O(2))–PVA relation) is remarkably robust in the face of departures from linearity of length-dependent twitch duration.
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Affiliation(s)
- J-C Han
- Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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36
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Land S, Niederer SA, Aronsen JM, Espe EKS, Zhang L, Louch WE, Sjaastad I, Sejersted OM, Smith NP. An analysis of deformation-dependent electromechanical coupling in the mouse heart. J Physiol 2012; 590:4553-69. [PMID: 22615436 PMCID: PMC3477757 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2012.231928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2012] [Accepted: 05/17/2012] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
To investigate the effects of the coupling between excitation and contraction on whole-organ function, we have developed a novel biophysically based multiscale electromechanical model of the murine heart. Through comparison with a comprehensive in vivo experimental data set, we show good agreement with pressure and volume measurements at both physiological temperatures and physiological pacing frequencies. This whole-organ model was used to investigate the effects of material and haemodynamic properties introduced at the tissue level, as well as emergent function of our novel cell contraction model. Through a comprehensive sensitivity analysis at both the cellular and whole organ level, we demonstrate the sensitivity of the model's results to its parameters and the constraining effect of experimental data. These results demonstrate the fundamental importance of length- and velocity-dependent feedback to the cellular scale for whole-organ function, and we show that a strong velocity dependence of tension is essential for explaining the differences between measured single cell tension and whole-organ pressure transients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sander Land
- Department of Computer Science, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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37
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Mateja RD, Greaser ML, de Tombe PP. Impact of titin isoform on length dependent activation and cross-bridge cycling kinetics in rat skeletal muscle. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2012; 1833:804-11. [PMID: 22951219 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2012.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2012] [Revised: 08/09/2012] [Accepted: 08/10/2012] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The magnitude of length dependent activation in striated muscle has been shown to vary with titin isoform. Recently, a rat that harbors a homozygous autosomal mutation (HM) causing preferential expression of a longer, giant titin isoform was discovered (Greaser et al. 2005). Here, we investigated the impact of titin isoform on myofilament force development and cross-bridge cycling kinetics as function of sarcomere length (SL) in tibialis anterior skeletal muscle isolated from wild type (WT) and HM. Skeletal muscle bundles from HM rats exhibited reductions in passive tension, maximal force development, myofilament calcium sensitivity, maximal ATP consumption, and tension cost at both short and long sarcomere length (SL=2.8μm and SL=3.2μm, respectively). Moreover, the SL-dependent changes in these parameters were attenuated in HM muscles. Additionally, myofilament Ca(2+) activation-relaxation properties were assessed in single isolated myofibrils. Both the rate of tension generation upon Ca(2+) activation (kACT) as well as the rate of tension redevelopment following a length perturbation (kTR) were reduced in HM myofibrils compared to WT, while relaxation kinetics were not affected. We conclude that presence of a long isoform of titin in the striated muscle sarcomere is associated with reduced myofilament force development and cross-bridge cycling kinetics, and a blunting of myofilament length dependent activation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cardiomyocyte Biology: Cardiac Pathways of Differentiation, Metabolism and Contraction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan D Mateja
- Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Loyola University Medical Center, Maywood, IL 60153, USA
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38
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Sadayappan S, de Tombe PP. Cardiac myosin binding protein-C: redefining its structure and function. Biophys Rev 2012; 4:93-106. [PMID: 22707987 PMCID: PMC3374655 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-012-0067-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2011] [Accepted: 01/13/2012] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations of cardiac myosin binding protein-C (cMyBP-C) are inherited by an estimated 60 million people worldwide, and the protein is the target of several kinases. Recent evidence further suggests that cMyBP-C mutations alter Ca(2+) transients, leading to electrophysiological dysfunction. Thus, while the importance of studying this cardiac sarcomere protein is clear, preliminary data in the literature have raised many questions. Therefore, in this article, we propose to review the structure and function of cMyBP-C with particular respect to the role(s) in cardiac contractility and whether its release into the circulatory system is a potential biomarker of myocardial infarction. We also discuss future directions and experimental designs that may lead to expanding the role(s) of cMyBP-C in the heart. In conclusion, we suggest that cMyBP-C is a regulatory protein that could offer a broad clinical utility in maintaining normal cardiac function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sakthivel Sadayappan
- Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, 2160 South First Ave., Maywood, IL 60153 USA
| | - Pieter P. de Tombe
- Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, 2160 South First Ave., Maywood, IL 60153 USA
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39
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ter Keurs HEDJ. The interaction of Ca2+ with sarcomeric proteins: role in function and dysfunction of the heart. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2012; 302:H38-50. [PMID: 22021327 PMCID: PMC3334233 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00219.2011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2011] [Accepted: 10/11/2011] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The hallmarks of the normal heartbeat are both rapid onset of contraction and rapid relaxation as well as an inotropic response to both increased end-diastolic volume and increased heart rate. At the microscopic level, Ca(2+) plays a crucial role in normal cardiac contraction. This paper reviews the cycle of Ca(2+) fluxes during the normal heartbeat, which underlie the coupling between excitation and contraction and permit a highly synchronized action of cardiac sarcomeres. Length dependence of the response of the regulatory sarcomeric proteins mediates the Frank-Starling Law of the heart. However, Ca(2+) transport may go astray in heart disease such as in congestive heart failure, and both jeopardize systole and diastole and triggering arrhythmias. The interaction between weak and strong segments in nonuniform cardiac muscle allows partial preservation of force of contraction but may further lead to mechanoelectric feedback or reverse excitation-contraction coupling mediating an early diastolic Ca(2+) transient caused by the rapid force decrease during the relaxation phase. These rapid force changes in nonuniform muscle may cause arrhythmogenic Ca(2+) waves to propagate by the activation of neighboring sarcoplasmic reticulum by diffusing Ca(2+) ions.
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40
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Trayanova NA, Rice JJ. Cardiac electromechanical models: from cell to organ. Front Physiol 2011; 2:43. [PMID: 21886622 PMCID: PMC3154390 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2011.00043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2011] [Accepted: 07/12/2011] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The heart is a multiphysics and multiscale system that has driven the development of the most sophisticated mathematical models at the frontiers of computational physiology and medicine. This review focuses on electromechanical (EM) models of the heart from the molecular level of myofilaments to anatomical models of the organ. Because of the coupling in terms of function and emergent behaviors at each level of biological hierarchy, separation of behaviors at a given scale is difficult. Here, a separation is drawn at the cell level so that the first half addresses subcellular/single-cell models and the second half addresses organ models. At the subcellular level, myofilament models represent actin–myosin interaction and Ca-based activation. The discussion of specific models emphasizes the roles of cooperative mechanisms and sarcomere length dependence of contraction force, considered to be the cellular basis of the Frank–Starling law. A model of electrophysiology and Ca handling can be coupled to a myofilament model to produce an EM cell model, and representative examples are summarized to provide an overview of the progression of the field. The second half of the review covers organ-level models that require solution of the electrical component as a reaction–diffusion system and the mechanical component, in which active tension generated by the myocytes produces deformation of the organ as described by the equations of continuum mechanics. As outlined in the review, different organ-level models have chosen to use different ionic and myofilament models depending on the specific application; this choice has been largely dictated by compromises between model complexity and computational tractability. The review also addresses application areas of EM models such as cardiac resynchronization therapy and the role of mechano-electric coupling in arrhythmias and defibrillation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia A Trayanova
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Computational Medicine, Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD, USA
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Campbell KS. Impact of myocyte strain on cardiac myofilament activation. Pflugers Arch 2011; 462:3-14. [PMID: 21409385 PMCID: PMC3115504 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-011-0952-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2010] [Revised: 02/25/2011] [Accepted: 02/27/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
When cardiac myocytes are stretched by a longitudinal strain, they develop proportionally more active force at a given sub-maximal Ca(2+) concentration than they did at the shorter length. This is known as length-dependent activation. It is one of the most important contributors to the Frank-Starling relationship, a critical part of normal cardiovascular function. Despite intense research efforts, the mechanistic basis of the Frank-Starling relationship remains unclear. Potential mechanisms involving myofibrillar lattice spacing, titin-based effects, and cooperative activation have all been proposed. This review summarizes some of these mechanisms and discusses two additional potential theories that reflect the effects of localized strains that occur within and between half-sarcomeres. The main conclusion is that the Frank-Starling relationship is probably the integrated result of many interacting molecular mechanisms. Multiscale computational modeling may therefore provide the best way of determining the key processes that underlie length-dependent activation and their relative strengths.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth S Campbell
- Department of Physiology and Center for Muscle Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
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Electromechanical coupling in the cardiac myocyte; stretch-arrhythmia feedback. Pflugers Arch 2011; 462:165-75. [PMID: 21373861 DOI: 10.1007/s00424-011-0944-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2011] [Revised: 02/16/2011] [Accepted: 02/17/2011] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The macroscopic hallmarks of the normal heartbeat are rapid onset of contraction and rapid relaxation and an inotropic response to both increased end diastolic volume and increased heart rate. At the microscopic level, the calcium ion (Ca(2+)) plays a crucial role in normal cardiac contraction. This paper reviews the cycle of Ca(2+) fluxes during the normal heartbeat, which underlie the coupling between excitation and contraction (ECC) and permit a highly synchronized action of cardiac sarcomeres. Length dependence of the response of the regulatory sarcomeric proteins mediates the Frank-Starling Law of the heart. However, Ca(2+) transport may go astray in heart disease and both jeopardize the exquisite mechanism of systole and diastole and triggering arrhythmias. The interplay between weakened and strong segments in nonuniform cardiac muscle may further lead to mechanoelectric feedback-or reverse excitation contraction coupling (RECC) mediating an early diastolic Ca(2+) transient caused by the rapid force decrease during the relaxation phase. These rapid force changes in nonuniform muscle may cause arrhythmogenic Ca(2+) waves to propagate by activation of neighbouring SR by diffusing Ca(2+) ions.
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