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Hamano M, Nakamura T, Ito R, Shimada Y, Iwata M, Takeshita JI, Eguchi R, Yamanishi Y. DIRECTEUR: transcriptome-based prediction of small molecules that replace transcription factors for direct cell conversion. Bioinformatics 2024; 40:btae048. [PMID: 38273708 PMCID: PMC10868337 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btae048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 01/03/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION Direct reprogramming (DR) is a process that directly converts somatic cells to target cells. Although DR via small molecules is safer than using transcription factors (TFs) in terms of avoidance of tumorigenic risk, the determination of DR-inducing small molecules is challenging. RESULTS Here we present a novel in silico method, DIRECTEUR, to predict small molecules that replace TFs for DR. We extracted DR-characteristic genes using transcriptome profiles of cells in which DR was induced by TFs, and performed a variant of simulated annealing to explore small molecule combinations with similar gene expression patterns with DR-inducing TFs. We applied DIRECTEUR to predicting combinations of small molecules that convert fibroblasts into neurons or cardiomyocytes, and were able to reproduce experimentally verified and functionally related molecules inducing the corresponding conversions. The proposed method is expected to be useful for practical applications in regenerative medicine. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION The code and data are available at the following link: https://github.com/HamanoLaboratory/DIRECTEUR.git.
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Affiliation(s)
- Momoko Hamano
- Department of Bioscience and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Iizuka, Fukuoka 820-8502, Japan
| | - Toru Nakamura
- Department of Bioscience and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Iizuka, Fukuoka 820-8502, Japan
| | - Ryoku Ito
- Department of Bioscience and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Iizuka, Fukuoka 820-8502, Japan
| | - Yuki Shimada
- Department of Bioscience and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Iizuka, Fukuoka 820-8502, Japan
| | - Michio Iwata
- Department of Bioscience and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Iizuka, Fukuoka 820-8502, Japan
| | - Jun-ichi Takeshita
- Research Institute of Science for Safety and Sustainability, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8569, Japan
| | - Ryohei Eguchi
- Department of Bioscience and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Iizuka, Fukuoka 820-8502, Japan
| | - Yoshihiro Yamanishi
- Department of Bioscience and Bioinformatics, Faculty of Computer Science and Systems Engineering, Kyushu Institute of Technology, Iizuka, Fukuoka 820-8502, Japan
- Department of Complex Systems Science, Graduate School of Informatics, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8601, Japan
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Abe Y, Tani H, Sadahiro T, Yamada Y, Akiyama T, Nakano K, Honda S, Ko S, Anzai A, Ieda M. Cardiac reprogramming reduces inflammatory macrophages and improves cardiac function in chronic myocardial infarction. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2024; 690:149272. [PMID: 37992523 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2023.149272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/24/2023]
Abstract
Cardiomyocytes (CMs) have little regenerative capacity. After myocardial infarction (MI), scar formation and myocardial remodeling proceed in the infarct and non-infarct areas, respectively, leading to heart failure (HF). Prolonged activation of cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) and inflammatory cells may contribute to this process; however, therapies targeting these cell types remain lacking. Cardiac reprogramming converts CFs into induced CMs, reduces fibrosis, and improves cardiac function in chronic MI through the overexpression of Mef2c/Gata4/Tbx5/Hand2 (MGTH). However, whether cardiac reprogramming reduces inflammation in infarcted hearts remains unclear. Moreover, the mechanism through which MGTH overexpression in CFs affects inflammatory cells remains unknown. Here, we showed that inflammation persists in the myocardium until three months after MI, which can be reversed with cardiac reprogramming. Single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrated that CFs expressed pro-inflammatory genes and exhibited strong intercellular communication with inflammatory cells, including macrophages, in chronic MI. Cardiac reprogramming suppressed the inflammatory profiles of CFs and reduced the relative ratios and pro-inflammatory signatures of cardiac macrophages. Moreover, fluorescence-activated cell sorting analysis (FACS) revealed that cardiac reprogramming reduced the number of chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2)-positive inflammatory macrophages in the non-infarct areas in chronic MI, thereby restoring myocardial remodeling. Thus, cardiac reprogramming reduced the number of inflammatory macrophages to exacerbate cardiac function after MI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuto Abe
- Department of Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Hidenori Tani
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Taketaro Sadahiro
- Department of Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Yu Yamada
- Department of Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Akiyama
- Department of Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan; Department of Respiratory Medicine, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Koji Nakano
- Department of Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Seiichiro Honda
- Department of Cardiology, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan
| | - Seien Ko
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Atsushi Anzai
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan
| | - Masaki Ieda
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
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Katoku-Kikyo N, Lim S, Yuan C, Koroth J, Nakagawa Y, Bradley EW, Kikyo N. The circadian regulator PER1 promotes cell reprogramming by inhibiting inflammatory signaling from macrophages. PLoS Biol 2023; 21:e3002419. [PMID: 38048364 PMCID: PMC10721173 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Circadian regulation of gene expression is prevalent and plays critical roles in cell differentiation. However, its roles in the reprogramming of differentiated cells remain largely unknown. Here, we found that one of the master circadian regulators PER1 promoted virus-mediated reprogramming of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) to induced neurons (iNs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Unexpectedly, PER1 achieved this by repressing inflammatory activation of contaminating macrophages in the MEF culture, rather than by directly modulating the reprogrammability of MEFs. More specifically, we found that transduced viruses activated inflammatory genes in macrophages, such as Tnf encoding TNFα, one of the central inflammatory regulators and an autocrine activator of macrophages. TNFα inhibited iN reprogramming, whereas a TNFα inhibitor promoted iN reprogramming, connecting the inflammatory responses to iN reprogramming. In addition, macrophages were induced to proliferate and mature by non-macrophage cells serving as feeders, which also supported up-regulation of TNFα in macrophages without virus transduction. Furthermore, the 2 inflammatory responses were repressed by the circadian regulator PER1 in macrophages, making reprogrammability dependent on time-of-day of virus transduction. Similar results were obtained with iPSC reprogramming, suggesting a wide occurrence of macrophage-mediated inhibition of cell reprogramming. This study uncovers mechanistic links between cell reprogramming, bystander inflammatory macrophages, and circadian rhythms, which are particularly relevant to in vivo reprogramming and organoid formation incorporating immune cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuko Katoku-Kikyo
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Seunghyun Lim
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Ce Yuan
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Graduate Program, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Jinsha Koroth
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Yasushi Nakagawa
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Elizabeth W. Bradley
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
| | - Nobuaki Kikyo
- Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
- Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
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Spurlock B, Liu J, Qian L. Can we stop one heart from breaking: triumphs and challenges in cardiac reprogramming. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2023; 83:102116. [PMID: 37797568 PMCID: PMC10872832 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2023.102116] [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: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Ischemic cardiac injury causes irreversible muscle loss and scarring, but recent years have seen dramatic advances in cardiac reprogramming, the field focused on regenerating cardiac muscle. With SARS-CoV2 increasing the age-adjusted cardiovascular disease mortality rate, it is worth evaluating the state of this field. Here, we summarize novel innovations in reprogramming strategies, insights into their mechanisms, and technologies for factor delivery. We also propose a broad model of reprogramming to suggest directions for future research. Poet Emily Dickinson wrote, "If I can stop one heart from breaking, I shall not live in vain." Today, researchers studying cardiac reprogramming view this line as a call to action to translate this revolutionary approach into life-saving treatments for patients with cardiovascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Spurlock
- McAllister Heart Institute, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Jiandong Liu
- McAllister Heart Institute, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Li Qian
- McAllister Heart Institute, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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Castillo-Casas JM, Caño-Carrillo S, Sánchez-Fernández C, Franco D, Lozano-Velasco E. Comparative Analysis of Heart Regeneration: Searching for the Key to Heal the Heart-Part II: Molecular Mechanisms of Cardiac Regeneration. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2023; 10:357. [PMID: 37754786 PMCID: PMC10531542 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd10090357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 08/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death worldwide, among which ischemic heart disease is the most representative. Myocardial infarction results from occlusion of a coronary artery, which leads to an insufficient blood supply to the myocardium. As it is well known, the massive loss of cardiomyocytes cannot be solved due the limited regenerative ability of the adult mammalian hearts. In contrast, some lower vertebrate species can regenerate the heart after an injury; their study has disclosed some of the involved cell types, molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways during the regenerative process. In this 'two parts' review, we discuss the current state-of-the-art of the main response to achieve heart regeneration, where several processes are involved and essential for cardiac regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Manuel Castillo-Casas
- Cardiovascular Development Group, Department of Experimental Biology, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain; (J.M.C.-C.); (S.C.-C.); (C.S.-F.); (D.F.)
| | - Sheila Caño-Carrillo
- Cardiovascular Development Group, Department of Experimental Biology, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain; (J.M.C.-C.); (S.C.-C.); (C.S.-F.); (D.F.)
| | - Cristina Sánchez-Fernández
- Cardiovascular Development Group, Department of Experimental Biology, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain; (J.M.C.-C.); (S.C.-C.); (C.S.-F.); (D.F.)
- Medina Foundation, 18007 Granada, Spain
| | - Diego Franco
- Cardiovascular Development Group, Department of Experimental Biology, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain; (J.M.C.-C.); (S.C.-C.); (C.S.-F.); (D.F.)
- Medina Foundation, 18007 Granada, Spain
| | - Estefanía Lozano-Velasco
- Cardiovascular Development Group, Department of Experimental Biology, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain; (J.M.C.-C.); (S.C.-C.); (C.S.-F.); (D.F.)
- Medina Foundation, 18007 Granada, Spain
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6
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Ji S, Xiong M, Chen H, Liu Y, Zhou L, Hong Y, Wang M, Wang C, Fu X, Sun X. Cellular rejuvenation: molecular mechanisms and potential therapeutic interventions for diseases. Signal Transduct Target Ther 2023; 8:116. [PMID: 36918530 PMCID: PMC10015098 DOI: 10.1038/s41392-023-01343-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The ageing process is a systemic decline from cellular dysfunction to organ degeneration, with more predisposition to deteriorated disorders. Rejuvenation refers to giving aged cells or organisms more youthful characteristics through various techniques, such as cellular reprogramming and epigenetic regulation. The great leaps in cellular rejuvenation prove that ageing is not a one-way street, and many rejuvenative interventions have emerged to delay and even reverse the ageing process. Defining the mechanism by which roadblocks and signaling inputs influence complex ageing programs is essential for understanding and developing rejuvenative strategies. Here, we discuss the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that counteract cell rejuvenation, and the targeted cells and core mechanisms involved in this process. Then, we critically summarize the latest advances in state-of-art strategies of cellular rejuvenation. Various rejuvenation methods also provide insights for treating specific ageing-related diseases, including cellular reprogramming, the removal of senescence cells (SCs) and suppression of senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), metabolic manipulation, stem cells-associated therapy, dietary restriction, immune rejuvenation and heterochronic transplantation, etc. The potential applications of rejuvenation therapy also extend to cancer treatment. Finally, we analyze in detail the therapeutic opportunities and challenges of rejuvenation technology. Deciphering rejuvenation interventions will provide further insights into anti-ageing and ageing-related disease treatment in clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuaifei Ji
- Research Center for Tissue Repair and Regeneration Affiliated to Medical Innovation Research Department and 4th Medical Center, PLA General Hospital and PLA Medical College; PLA Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration; Research Unit of Trauma Care, Tissue Repair and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU051, Beijing, 100048, P. R. China
| | - Mingchen Xiong
- Research Center for Tissue Repair and Regeneration Affiliated to Medical Innovation Research Department and 4th Medical Center, PLA General Hospital and PLA Medical College; PLA Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration; Research Unit of Trauma Care, Tissue Repair and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU051, Beijing, 100048, P. R. China
| | - Huating Chen
- Research Center for Tissue Repair and Regeneration Affiliated to Medical Innovation Research Department and 4th Medical Center, PLA General Hospital and PLA Medical College; PLA Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration; Research Unit of Trauma Care, Tissue Repair and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU051, Beijing, 100048, P. R. China
| | - Yiqiong Liu
- Research Center for Tissue Repair and Regeneration Affiliated to Medical Innovation Research Department and 4th Medical Center, PLA General Hospital and PLA Medical College; PLA Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration; Research Unit of Trauma Care, Tissue Repair and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU051, Beijing, 100048, P. R. China
| | - Laixian Zhou
- Research Center for Tissue Repair and Regeneration Affiliated to Medical Innovation Research Department and 4th Medical Center, PLA General Hospital and PLA Medical College; PLA Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration; Research Unit of Trauma Care, Tissue Repair and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU051, Beijing, 100048, P. R. China
| | - Yiyue Hong
- Research Center for Tissue Repair and Regeneration Affiliated to Medical Innovation Research Department and 4th Medical Center, PLA General Hospital and PLA Medical College; PLA Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration; Research Unit of Trauma Care, Tissue Repair and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU051, Beijing, 100048, P. R. China
| | - Mengyang Wang
- Research Center for Tissue Repair and Regeneration Affiliated to Medical Innovation Research Department and 4th Medical Center, PLA General Hospital and PLA Medical College; PLA Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration; Research Unit of Trauma Care, Tissue Repair and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU051, Beijing, 100048, P. R. China
| | - Chunming Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, 999078, Macau SAR, China.
| | - Xiaobing Fu
- Research Center for Tissue Repair and Regeneration Affiliated to Medical Innovation Research Department and 4th Medical Center, PLA General Hospital and PLA Medical College; PLA Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration; Research Unit of Trauma Care, Tissue Repair and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU051, Beijing, 100048, P. R. China.
| | - Xiaoyan Sun
- Research Center for Tissue Repair and Regeneration Affiliated to Medical Innovation Research Department and 4th Medical Center, PLA General Hospital and PLA Medical College; PLA Key Laboratory of Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine and Beijing Key Research Laboratory of Skin Injury, Repair and Regeneration; Research Unit of Trauma Care, Tissue Repair and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, 2019RU051, Beijing, 100048, P. R. China.
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7
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Yamada Y, Sadahiro T, Ieda M. Development of direct cardiac reprogramming for clinical applications. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2023; 178:1-8. [PMID: 36918145 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2023.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
The incidence of cardiovascular diseases is increasing worldwide, and cardiac regenerative therapy has great potential as a new treatment strategy, especially for ischemic heart disease. Direct cardiac reprogramming is a promising new cardiac regenerative therapy that uses defined factors to induce transdifferentiation of endogenous cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) into induced cardiomyocyte-like cells (iCMs). In vivo reprogramming is expected to restore lost cardiac function without necessitating cardiac transplantation by converting endogenous CFs that exist abundantly in cardiac tissues directly into iCMs. Indeed, we and other groups have demonstrated that in vivo cardiac reprogramming improves cardiac contractile function and reduces scar area after acute myocardial infarction (MI). Recently, we demonstrated that in vivo cardiac reprogramming is an innovative cardiac regenerative therapy that not only regenerates the myocardium, but also reverses fibrosis by inducing the quiescence of pro-fibrotic fibroblasts, thereby improving heart failure in chronic MI. In this review, we summarize the recent progresses in in vivo cardiac reprogramming, and discuss its prospects for future clinical applications and the challenges of direct human reprogramming, which has been a longstanding issue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Yamada
- Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Taketaro Sadahiro
- Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan
| | - Masaki Ieda
- Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki 305-8575, Japan.
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Tani H, Sadahiro T, Yamada Y, Isomi M, Yamakawa H, Fujita R, Abe Y, Akiyama T, Nakano K, Kuze Y, Seki M, Suzuki Y, Fujisawa M, Sakata-Yanagimoto M, Chiba S, Fukuda K, Ieda M. Direct Reprogramming Improves Cardiac Function and Reverses Fibrosis in Chronic Myocardial Infarction. Circulation 2023; 147:223-238. [PMID: 36503256 DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.121.058655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Because adult cardiomyocytes have little regenerative capacity, resident cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) synthesize extracellular matrix after myocardial infarction (MI) to form fibrosis, leading to cardiac dysfunction and heart failure. Therapies that can regenerate the myocardium and reverse fibrosis in chronic MI are lacking. The overexpression of cardiac transcription factors, including Mef2c/Gata4/Tbx5/Hand2 (MGTH), can directly reprogram CFs into induced cardiomyocytes (iCMs) and improve cardiac function under acute MI. However, the ability of in vivo cardiac reprogramming to repair chronic MI with established scars is undetermined. METHODS We generated a novel Tcf21iCre/reporter/MGTH2A transgenic mouse system in which tamoxifen treatment could induce both MGTH and reporter expression in the resident CFs for cardiac reprogramming and fibroblast lineage tracing. We first tested the efficacy of this transgenic system in vitro and in vivo for acute MI. Next, we analyzed in vivo cardiac reprogramming and fusion events under chronic MI using Tcf21iCre/Tomato/MGTH2A and Tcf21iCre/mTmG/MGTH2A mice, respectively. Microarray and single-cell RNA sequencing were performed to determine the mechanism of cardiac repair by in vivo reprogramming. RESULTS We confirmed the efficacy of transgenic in vitro and in vivo cardiac reprogramming for acute MI. In chronic MI, in vivo cardiac reprogramming converted ≈2% of resident CFs into iCMs, in which a majority of iCMs were generated by means of bona fide cardiac reprogramming rather than by fusion with cardiomyocytes. Cardiac reprogramming significantly improved myocardial contraction and reduced fibrosis in chronic MI. Microarray analyses revealed that the overexpression of MGTH activated cardiac program and concomitantly suppressed fibroblast and inflammatory signatures in chronic MI. Single-cell RNA sequencing demonstrated that resident CFs consisted of 7 subclusters, in which the profibrotic CF population increased under chronic MI. Cardiac reprogramming suppressed fibroblastic gene expression in chronic MI by means of conversion of profibrotic CFs to a quiescent antifibrotic state. MGTH overexpression induced antifibrotic effects partly by suppression of Meox1, a central regulator of fibroblast activation. CONCLUSIONS These results demonstrate that cardiac reprogramming could repair chronic MI by means of myocardial regeneration and reduction of fibrosis. These findings present opportunities for the development of new therapies for chronic MI and heart failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hidenori Tani
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan (H.T., H.Y., K.F.)
| | - Taketaro Sadahiro
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yu Yamada
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Mari Isomi
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Yamakawa
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan (H.T., H.Y., K.F.)
| | - Ryo Fujita
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan.,Faculty of Medicine, and Division of Regenerative Medicine, Transborder Medical Research Center (R.F.), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yuto Abe
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Akiyama
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan.,Respiratory Medicine (T.A.), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Koji Nakano
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yuta Kuze
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa City, Chiba, Japan (Y.K., M.S., Y.S.)
| | - Masahide Seki
- Departments of Cardiology (T.S., Y.Y., M. Isomi, R.F., Y.A., T.A., K.N., M. Ieda), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan.,Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa City, Chiba, Japan (Y.K., M.S., Y.S.)
| | - Yutaka Suzuki
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa City, Chiba, Japan (Y.K., M.S., Y.S.)
| | - Manabu Fujisawa
- Hematology (M.F., M.S.-Y., S.C.), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | | | - Shigeru Chiba
- Hematology (M.F., M.S.-Y., S.C.), University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Keiichi Fukuda
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan (H.T., H.Y., K.F.)
| | - Masaki Ieda
- Department of Cardiology, Keio University School of Medicine, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, Japan (H.T., H.Y., K.F.)
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Kalyuzhin VV, Teplyakov AT, Bespalova ID, Kalyuzhina EV, Terentyeva NN, Grakova EV, Kopeva KV, Usov VY, Garganeeva NP, Pavlenko OA, Gorelova YV, Teteneva AV. Promising directions in the treatment of chronic heart failure: improving old or developing new ones? BULLETIN OF SIBERIAN MEDICINE 2022. [DOI: 10.20538/1682-0363-2022-3-181-197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Unprecedented advances of recent decades in clinical pharmacology, cardiac surgery, arrhythmology, and cardiac pacing have significantly improved the prognosis in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). However, unfortunately, heart failure continues to be associated with high mortality. The solution to this problem consists in simultaneous comprehensive use in clinical practice of all relevant capabilities of continuously improving methods of heart failure treatment proven to be effective in randomized controlled trials (especially when confirmed by the results of studies in real clinical practice), on the one hand, and in development and implementation of innovative approaches to CHF treatment, on the other hand. This is especially relevant for CHF patients with mildly reduced and preserved left ventricular ejection fraction, as poor evidence base for the possibility of improving the prognosis in such patients cannot justify inaction and leaving them without hope of a clinical improvement in their condition. The lecture consistently covers the general principles of CHF treatment and a set of measures aimed at inotropic stimulation and unloading (neurohormonal, volumetric, hemodynamic, and immune) of the heart and outlines some promising areas of disease-modifying therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - A. T. Teplyakov
- Cardiology Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center (NRMC), Russian Academy of Sciences
| | | | | | | | - E. V. Grakova
- Cardiology Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center (NRMC), Russian Academy of Sciences
| | - K. V. Kopeva
- Cardiology Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center (NRMC), Russian Academy of Sciences
| | - V. Yu. Usov
- Cardiology Research Institute, Tomsk National Research Medical Center (NRMC), Russian Academy of Sciences
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Baksh SS, Pratt RE, Gomez J, Dzau VJ, Hodgkinson CP. A novel Cbx1, PurB, and Sp3 complex mediates long-term silencing of tissue- and lineage-specific genes. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:102053. [PMID: 35605661 PMCID: PMC9190063 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
miRNA-based cellular fate reprogramming offers an opportunity to investigate the mechanisms of long-term gene silencing. To further understand how genes are silenced in a tissue-specific manner, we leveraged our miRNA-based method of reprogramming fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes. Through screening approaches, we identified three proteins that were downregulated during reprogramming of fibroblasts into cardiomyocytes: heterochromatin protein Cbx1, transcriptional activator protein PurB, and transcription factor Sp3. We show that knockdown of Cbx1, PurB, and Sp3 was sufficient to induce cardiomyocyte gene expression in fibroblasts. Similarly, gene editing to ablate Cbx1, PurB, and Sp3 expression induced fibroblasts to convert into cardiomyocytes in vivo. Furthermore, high-throughput DNA sequencing and coimmunoprecipitation experiments indicated that Cbx1, PurB, and Sp3 also bound together as a complex and were necessary to localize nucleosomes to cardiomyocyte genes on the chromosome. Finally, we found that the expression of these genes led to nucleosome modification via H3K27me3 (trimethylated histone-H3 lysine-27) deposition through an interaction with the polycomb repressive PRC2 complex. In summary, we conclude that Cbx1, PurB, and Sp3 control cell fate by actively repressing lineage-specific genes.
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Testa G, Di Benedetto G, Passaro F. Advanced Technologies to Target Cardiac Cell Fate Plasticity for Heart Regeneration. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22179517. [PMID: 34502423 PMCID: PMC8431232 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2021] [Revised: 08/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The adult human heart can only adapt to heart diseases by starting a myocardial remodeling process to compensate for the loss of functional cardiomyocytes, which ultimately develop into heart failure. In recent decades, the evolution of new strategies to regenerate the injured myocardium based on cellular reprogramming represents a revolutionary new paradigm for cardiac repair by targeting some key signaling molecules governing cardiac cell fate plasticity. While the indirect reprogramming routes require an in vitro engineered 3D tissue to be transplanted in vivo, the direct cardiac reprogramming would allow the administration of reprogramming factors directly in situ, thus holding great potential as in vivo treatment for clinical applications. In this framework, cellular reprogramming in partnership with nanotechnologies and bioengineering will offer new perspectives in the field of cardiovascular research for disease modeling, drug screening, and tissue engineering applications. In this review, we will summarize the recent progress in developing innovative therapeutic strategies based on manipulating cardiac cell fate plasticity in combination with bioengineering and nanotechnology-based approaches for targeting the failing heart.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Testa
- Department of Medicine and Health Sciences “V. Tiberio”, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy;
- Interdepartmental Center for Nanotechnology Research—NanoBem, University of Molise, 86100 Campobasso, Italy
| | - Giorgia Di Benedetto
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Federico II University, 80138 Naples, Italy;
| | - Fabiana Passaro
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, Federico II University, 80138 Naples, Italy;
- Correspondence:
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