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Abu Nahia K, Sulej A, Migdał M, Ochocka N, Ho R, Kamińska B, Zagorski M, Winata CL. scRNA-seq reveals the diversity of the developing cardiac cell lineage and molecular players in heart rhythm regulation. iScience 2024; 27:110083. [PMID: 38872974 PMCID: PMC11170199 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024] Open
Abstract
We utilized scRNA-seq to delineate the diversity of cell types in the zebrafish heart. Transcriptome profiling of over 50,000 cells at 48 and 72 hpf defined at least 18 discrete cell lineages of the developing heart. Utilizing well-established gene signatures, we identified a population of cells likely to be the primary pacemaker and characterized the transcriptome profile defining this critical cell type. Two previously uncharacterized genes, atp1b3b and colec10, were found to be enriched in the sinoatrial cardiomyocytes. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knockout of these two genes significantly reduced heart rate, implicating their role in cardiac development and conduction. Additionally, we describe other cardiac cell lineages, including the endothelial and neural cells, providing their expression profiles as a resource. Our results established a detailed atlas of the developing heart, providing valuable insights into cellular and molecular mechanisms, and pinpointed potential new players in heart rhythm regulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karim Abu Nahia
- International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Agata Sulej
- International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Maciej Migdał
- International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Natalia Ochocka
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Richard Ho
- Institute of Theoretical Physics and Mark Kac Center for Complex Systems Research, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland
- The Njord Centre, Department of Physics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bożena Kamińska
- Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marcin Zagorski
- Institute of Theoretical Physics and Mark Kac Center for Complex Systems Research, Jagiellonian University, Cracow, Poland
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2
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Ding Z, Jiang M, Qian J, Gu D, Bai H, Cai M, Yao D. Role of transforming growth factor-β in peripheral nerve regeneration. Neural Regen Res 2024; 19:380-386. [PMID: 37488894 PMCID: PMC10503632 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.377588] [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: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Injuries caused by trauma and neurodegenerative diseases can damage the peripheral nervous system and cause functional deficits. Unlike in the central nervous system, damaged axons in peripheral nerves can be induced to regenerate in response to intrinsic cues after reprogramming or in a growth-promoting microenvironment created by Schwann cells. However, axon regeneration and repair do not automatically result in the restoration of function, which is the ultimate therapeutic goal but also a major clinical challenge. Transforming growth factor (TGF) is a multifunctional cytokine that regulates various biological processes including tissue repair, embryo development, and cell growth and differentiation. There is accumulating evidence that TGF-β family proteins participate in peripheral nerve repair through various factors and signaling pathways by regulating the growth and transformation of Schwann cells; recruiting specific immune cells; controlling the permeability of the blood-nerve barrier, thereby stimulating axon growth; and inhibiting remyelination of regenerated axons. TGF-β has been applied to the treatment of peripheral nerve injury in animal models. In this context, we review the functions of TGF-β in peripheral nerve regeneration and potential clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihan Ding
- School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Maorong Jiang
- School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jiaxi Qian
- School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Dandan Gu
- School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Huiyuan Bai
- School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Min Cai
- Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Dengbing Yao
- School of Life Sciences, Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
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3
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Sassu E, Tumlinson G, Stefanovska D, Fernández MC, Iaconianni P, Madl J, Brennan TA, Koch M, Cameron BA, Preissl S, Ravens U, Schneider-Warme F, Kohl P, Zgierski-Johnston CM, Hortells L. Age-related structural and functional changes of the intracardiac nervous system. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2024; 187:1-14. [PMID: 38103633 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2023.12.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although aging is known to be associated with an increased incidence of both atrial and ventricular arrhythmias, there is limited knowledge about how Schwann cells (SC) and the intracardiac nervous system (iCNS) remodel with age. Here we investigate the differences in cardiac SC, parasympathetic nerve fibers, and muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M2 (M2R) expression in young and old mice. Additionally, we examine age-related changes in cardiac responses to sympathomimetic and parasympathomimetic drugs. METHODS AND RESULTS Lower SC density, lower SC proliferation and fewer parasympathetic nerve fibers were observed in cardiac and, as a control sciatic nerves from old (20-24 months) compared to young mice (2-3 months). In old mice, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4) was increased in sciatic but not cardiac nerves. Expression of M2R was lower in ventricular myocardium and ventricular conduction system from old mice compared to young mice, while no significant difference was seen in M2R expression in sino-atrial or atrio-ventricular node pacemaker tissue. Heart rate was slower and PQ intervals were longer in Langendorff-perfused hearts from old mice. Ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation were more frequently observed in response to carbachol administration in hearts from old mice versus those from young mice. CONCLUSIONS On the background of reduced presence of SC and parasympathetic nerve fibers, and of lower M2R expression in ventricular cardiomyocytes and conduction system of aged hearts, the propensity of ventricular arrhythmogenesis upon parasympathomimetic drug application is increased. Whether this is caused by an increase in heterogeneity of iCNS structure and function remains to be elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliza Sassu
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Gavin Tumlinson
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Dragana Stefanovska
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Marbely C Fernández
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Pia Iaconianni
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Josef Madl
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Tomás A Brennan
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Manuel Koch
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Breanne A Cameron
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Preissl
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ursula Ravens
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Franziska Schneider-Warme
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; CIBSS Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies, and Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Peter Kohl
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; CIBSS Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies, and Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Callum M Zgierski-Johnston
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Luis Hortells
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Center Freiburg Bad Krozingen, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany; Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany.
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4
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Bowers SLK, Meng Q, Kuwabara Y, Huo J, Minerath R, York AJ, Sargent MA, Prasad V, Saviola AJ, Galindo DC, Hansen KC, Vagnozzi RJ, Yutzey KE, Molkentin JD. Col1a2-Deleted Mice Have Defective Type I Collagen and Secondary Reactive Cardiac Fibrosis with Altered Hypertrophic Dynamics. Cells 2023; 12:2174. [PMID: 37681905 PMCID: PMC10486458 DOI: 10.3390/cells12172174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
RATIONALE The adult cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) is largely comprised of type I collagen. In addition to serving as the primary structural support component of the cardiac ECM, type I collagen also provides an organizational platform for other ECM proteins, matricellular proteins, and signaling components that impact cellular stress sensing in vivo. OBJECTIVE Here we investigated how the content and integrity of type I collagen affect cardiac structure function and response to injury. METHODS AND RESULTS We generated and characterized Col1a2-/- mice using standard gene targeting. Col1a2-/- mice were viable, although by young adulthood their hearts showed alterations in ECM mechanical properties, as well as an unanticipated activation of cardiac fibroblasts and induction of a progressive fibrotic response. This included augmented TGFβ activity, increases in fibroblast number, and progressive cardiac hypertrophy, with reduced functional performance by 9 months of age. Col1a2-loxP-targeted mice were also generated and crossed with the tamoxifen-inducible Postn-MerCreMer mice to delete the Col1a2 gene in myofibroblasts with pressure overload injury. Interestingly, while germline Col1a2-/- mice showed gradual pathologic hypertrophy and fibrosis with aging, the acute deletion of Col1a2 from activated adult myofibroblasts showed a loss of total collagen deposition with acute cardiac injury and an acute reduction in pressure overload-induce cardiac hypertrophy. However, this reduction in hypertrophy due to myofibroblast-specific Col1a2 deletion was lost after 2 and 6 weeks of pressure overload, as fibrotic deposition accumulated. CONCLUSIONS Defective type I collagen in the heart alters the structural integrity of the ECM and leads to cardiomyopathy in adulthood, with fibroblast expansion, activation, and alternate fibrotic ECM deposition. However, acute inhibition of type I collagen production can have an anti-fibrotic and anti-hypertrophic effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L. K. Bowers
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Qinghang Meng
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
- Center for Organoid and Regeneration Medicine, Greater Bay Area Institute of Precision Medicine (Guangzhou), School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Guangzhou 511466, China
| | - Yasuhide Kuwabara
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Jiuzhou Huo
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Rachel Minerath
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Allen J. York
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Michelle A. Sargent
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Vikram Prasad
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Anthony J. Saviola
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - David Ceja Galindo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Kirk C. Hansen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Ronald J. Vagnozzi
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
- Division of Cardiology, Consortium for Fibrosis Research and Translation, Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Katherine E. Yutzey
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Jeffery D. Molkentin
- Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
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5
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Lother A, Kohl P. The heterocellular heart: identities, interactions, and implications for cardiology. Basic Res Cardiol 2023; 118:30. [PMID: 37495826 PMCID: PMC10371928 DOI: 10.1007/s00395-023-01000-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023]
Abstract
The heterocellular nature of the heart has been receiving increasing attention in recent years. In addition to cardiomyocytes as the prototypical cell type of the heart, non-myocytes such as endothelial cells, fibroblasts, or immune cells are coming more into focus. The rise of single-cell sequencing technologies enables identification of ever more subtle differences and has reignited the question of what defines a cell's identity. Here we provide an overview of the major cardiac cell types, describe their roles in homeostasis, and outline recent findings on non-canonical functions that may be of relevance for cardiology. We highlight modes of biochemical and biophysical interactions between different cardiac cell types and discuss the potential implications of the heterocellular nature of the heart for basic research and therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Achim Lother
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstr. 25, 79104, Freiburg, Germany.
- Interdisciplinary Medical Intensive Care, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center-University of Freiburg, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Peter Kohl
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Heart Center, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- CIBSS Centre for Integrative Biological Signalling Studies, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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6
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Li X, Zhang Q, Yu SM, Li Y. The Chemistry and Biology of Collagen Hybridization. J Am Chem Soc 2023; 145:10901-10916. [PMID: 37158802 PMCID: PMC10789224 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c00713] [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] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Collagen provides mechanical and biological support for virtually all human tissues in the extracellular matrix (ECM). Its defining molecular structure, the triple-helix, could be damaged and denatured in disease and injuries. To probe collagen damage, the concept of collagen hybridization has been proposed, revised, and validated through a series of investigations reported as early as 1973: a collagen-mimicking peptide strand may form a hybrid triple-helix with the denatured chains of natural collagen but not the intact triple-helical collagen proteins, enabling assessment of proteolytic degradation or mechanical disruption to collagen within a tissue-of-interest. Here we describe the concept and development of collagen hybridization, summarize the decades of chemical investigations on rules underlying the collagen triple-helix folding, and discuss the growing biomedical evidence on collagen denaturation as a previously overlooked ECM signature for an array of conditions involving pathological tissue remodeling and mechanical injuries. Finally, we propose a series of emerging questions regarding the chemical and biological nature of collagen denaturation and highlight the diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities from its targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaojing Li
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China
| | - Qi Zhang
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China
| | - S. Michael Yu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States
| | - Yang Li
- Guangdong Provincial Engineering Research Center of Molecular Imaging, Department of Radiology, Cardiac Surgery and Structural Heart Disease Unit of Cardiovascular Center, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519000, China
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7
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Kershner LJ, Choi K, Wu J, Zhang X, Perrino M, Salomonis N, Shern JF, Ratner N. Multiple Nf1 Schwann cell populations reprogram the plexiform neurofibroma tumor microenvironment. JCI Insight 2022; 7:e154513. [PMID: 36134665 PMCID: PMC9675562 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.154513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
To define alterations early in tumor formation, we studied nerve tumors in neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1), a tumor predisposition syndrome. Affected individuals develop neurofibromas, benign tumors driven by NF1 loss in Schwann cells (SCs). By comparing normal nerve cells to plexiform neurofibroma (PN) cells using single-cell and bulk RNA sequencing, we identified changes in 5 SC populations, including a de novo SC progenitor-like (SCP-like) population. Long after Nf1 loss, SC populations developed PN-specific expression of Dcn, Postn, and Cd74, with sustained expression of the injury response gene Postn and showed dramatic expansion of immune and stromal cell populations; in corresponding human PNs, the immune and stromal cells comprised 90% of cells. Comparisons between injury-related and tumor monocytes/macrophages support early monocyte recruitment and aberrant macrophage differentiation. Cross-species analysis verified each SC population and unique conserved patterns of predicted cell-cell communication in each SC population. This analysis identified PROS1-AXL, FGF-FGFR, and MIF-CD74 and its effector pathway NF-κB as deregulated in NF1 SC populations, including SCP-like cells predicted to influence other types of SCs, stromal cells, and/or immune cells in mouse and human. These findings highlight remarkable changes in multiple types of SCs and identify therapeutic targets for PN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leah J. Kershner
- Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Kwangmin Choi
- Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Jianqiang Wu
- Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Xiyuan Zhang
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Melissa Perrino
- Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Nathan Salomonis
- Division of Biomedical Informatics, and
- Departments of Pediatrics and Bioinformatics, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Jack F. Shern
- Pediatric Oncology Branch, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Nancy Ratner
- Division of Experimental Hematology and Cancer Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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8
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Bowers SL, Meng Q, Molkentin JD. Fibroblasts orchestrate cellular crosstalk in the heart through the ECM. NATURE CARDIOVASCULAR RESEARCH 2022; 1:312-321. [PMID: 38765890 PMCID: PMC11101212 DOI: 10.1038/s44161-022-00043-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/02/2022] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Cell communication is needed for organ function and stress responses, especially in the heart. Cardiac fibroblasts, cardiomyocytes, immune cells, and endothelial cells comprise the major cell types in ventricular myocardium that together coordinate all functional processes. Critical to this cellular network is the non-cellular extracellular matrix (ECM) that provides structure and harbors growth factors and other signaling proteins that affect cell behavior. The ECM is not only produced and modified by cells within the myocardium, largely cardiac fibroblasts, it also acts as an avenue for communication among all myocardial cells. In this Review, we discuss how the development of therapeutics to combat cardiac diseases, specifically fibrosis, relies on a deeper understanding of how the cardiac ECM is intertwined with signaling processes that underlie cellular activation and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jeffery D. Molkentin
- Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology; University of Cincinnati, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati, OH
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9
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Stoyek MR, Hortells L, Quinn TA. From Mice to Mainframes: Experimental Models for Investigation of the Intracardiac Nervous System. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2021; 8:149. [PMID: 34821702 PMCID: PMC8620975 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd8110149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2021] [Revised: 10/28/2021] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The intracardiac nervous system (IcNS), sometimes referred to as the "little brain" of the heart, is involved in modulating many aspects of cardiac physiology. In recent years our fundamental understanding of autonomic control of the heart has drastically improved, and the IcNS is increasingly being viewed as a therapeutic target in cardiovascular disease. However, investigations of the physiology and specific roles of intracardiac neurons within the neural circuitry mediating cardiac control has been hampered by an incomplete knowledge of the anatomical organisation of the IcNS. A more thorough understanding of the IcNS is hoped to promote the development of new, highly targeted therapies to modulate IcNS activity in cardiovascular disease. In this paper, we first provide an overview of IcNS anatomy and function derived from experiments in mammals. We then provide descriptions of alternate experimental models for investigation of the IcNS, focusing on a non-mammalian model (zebrafish), neuron-cardiomyocyte co-cultures, and computational models to demonstrate how the similarity of the relevant processes in each model can help to further our understanding of the IcNS in health and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R. Stoyek
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS 15000, Canada;
| | - Luis Hortells
- Institute for Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine, University Heart Centre Freiburg–Bad Krozingen, 79110 Freiburg, Germany;
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79110 Freiburg, Germany
| | - T. Alexander Quinn
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS 15000, Canada;
- School of Biomedical Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS 15000, Canada
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