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Zhang X, Burattini M, Duru J, Chala N, Wyssen N, Cofiño-Fabres C, Rivera-Arbeláez JM, Passier R, Poulikakos D, Ferrari A, Tringides C, Vörös J, Luciani GB, Miragoli M, Zambelli T. Multimodal Mapping of Electrical and Mechanical Latency of Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocyte Layers. ACS NANO 2024. [PMID: 39172696 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c03896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/24/2024]
Abstract
The synchronization of the electrical and mechanical coupling assures the physiological pump function of the heart, but life-threatening pathologies may jeopardize this equilibrium. Recently, human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) have emerged as a model for personalized investigation because they can recapitulate human diseased traits, such as compromised electrical capacity or mechanical circuit disruption. This research avails the model of hiPSC-CMs and showcases innovative techniques to study the electrical and mechanical properties as well as their modulation due to inherited cardiomyopathies. In this work, hiPSC-CMs carrying either Brugada syndrome (BRU) or dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), were organized in a bilayer configuration to first validate the experimental methods and second mimic the physiological environment. High-density CMOS-based microelectrode arrays (HD-MEA) have been employed to study the electrical activity. Furthermore, mechanical function was investigated via quantitative video-based evaluation, upon stimulation with a β-adrenergic agonist. This study introduces two experimental methods. First, high-throughput mechanical measurements in the hiPSC-CM layers (xy-inspection) are obtained using both a recently developed optical tracker (OPT) and confocal reference-free traction force microscopy (cTFM) aimed to quantify cardiac kinematics. Second, atomic force microscopy (AFM) with FluidFM probes, combined with the xy-inspection methods, supplemented a three-dimensional understanding of cell-cell mechanical coupling (xyz-inspection). This particular combination represents a multi-technique approach to detecting electrical and mechanical latency among the cell layers, examining differences and possible implications following inherited cardiomyopathies. It can not only detect disease characteristics in the proposed in vitro model but also quantitatively assess its response to drugs, thereby demonstrating its feasibility as a scalable tool for clinical and pharmacological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Zhang
- Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich,Switzerland
| | - Margherita Burattini
- Laboratory of Experimental and Applied Medical Technologies, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Department of Maternity, Surgery and Dentistry, University of Verona, 37134 Verona, Italy
| | - Jens Duru
- Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich,Switzerland
| | - Nafsika Chala
- Laboratory of Thermodynamics in Emerging Technologies, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zurich,Switzerland
| | - Nino Wyssen
- Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich,Switzerland
| | - Carla Cofiño-Fabres
- Department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed Centre, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherland
| | - José Manuel Rivera-Arbeláez
- Department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed Centre, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherland
| | - Robert Passier
- Department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies, TechMed Centre, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherland
| | - Dimos Poulikakos
- Laboratory of Thermodynamics in Emerging Technologies, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zurich,Switzerland
| | - Aldo Ferrari
- Laboratory of Thermodynamics in Emerging Technologies, Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zurich,Switzerland
- Experimental Continuum Mechanics, EMPA, Swiss Federal Laboratories for Material Science and Technologies, 8600 Dübendorf, Switzerland
| | - Christina Tringides
- Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich,Switzerland
| | - János Vörös
- Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich,Switzerland
| | | | - Michele Miragoli
- Laboratory of Experimental and Applied Medical Technologies, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, 43126 Parma, Italy
- Humanitas Research Hospital ─ IRCCS, 20089 Rozzano, Italy
| | - Tomaso Zambelli
- Laboratory of Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Institute for Biomedical Engineering, ETH Zürich, 8092 Zürich,Switzerland
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Han JL, Heinson YW, Chua CJ, Liu W, Entcheva E. CRISPRi gene modulation and all-optical electrophysiology in post-differentiated human iPSC-cardiomyocytes. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1236. [PMID: 38062109 PMCID: PMC10703822 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05627-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Uncovering gene-phenotype relationships can be enabled by precise gene modulation in human induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) and follow up phenotyping using scalable all-optical electrophysiology platforms. Such efforts towards human functional genomics can be aided by recent CRISPR-derived technologies for reversible gene inhibition or activation (CRISPRi/a). We set out to characterize the performance of CRISPRi in post-differentiated iPSC-CMs, targeting key cardiac ion channel genes, KCNH2, KCNJ2, and GJA1, and providing a multiparametric quantification of the effects on cardiac repolarization, stability of the resting membrane potential and conduction properties using all-optical tools. More potent CRISPRi effectors, e.g., Zim3, and optimized viral delivery led to improved performance on par with the use of CRISPRi iPSC lines. Confirmed mild yet specific phenotype changes when CRISPRi is deployed in non-dividing differentiated heart cells is an important step towards more holistic pre-clinical cardiotoxicity testing and for future therapeutic use in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie L Han
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
| | - Yuli W Heinson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
| | - Christianne J Chua
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA
| | - Emilia Entcheva
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 20052, USA.
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Wang Y, Hu H, Wu Y, Zhao Y, Xie F, Sun Z, Wang X, Qian L. Norepinephrine promotes neuronal apoptosis of hippocampal HT22 cells by up-regulating the expression of long non-coding RNA MALAT1. Stress 2023; 26:2252905. [PMID: 37632346 DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2023.2252905] [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: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Stress is ever present in our modern, performance-oriented and demanding society, which causes adverse stress reactions of the body and affects health seriously. Chronic stress has been recognized as a significant risk factor leading to cognitive impairment, but the underlying mechanism is far from fully understood. Norepinephrine (NE), a pivotal stress-induced hormone, has been found to induce cell apoptosis. However, the function and the key downstream mediator of NE on the regulation of hippocampal neurons still need further exploration. In this study, we explored the role of NE in neuronal apoptosis and its association with MALAT1. Flow cytometry assay and automated western bot assay were carried out to evaluate the cell apoptosis. The data showed that the rate of apoptosis rate and the levels of apoptotic proteins (cleaved-Caspase3 and cleaved-PARP) were significantly increased in HT22 cells after a high dose of NE treatment, suggesting a facilitative role of NE on hippocampal neuronal apoptosis. Besides, a high level of NE up-regulated the expression of MALAT1 in HT22 cells. Then, a lentivirus expressing MALAT1 shRNA was constructed to investigate the role of MALAT1 in cell apoptosis and the results revealed that MALAT1 depletion decreased the cell apoptosis. Moreover, the knockdown of MALAT1 abolished the discrepancy in apoptosis between NE-treated cells and control cells. In conclusion, a high level of the stress-induced hormone NE promoted apoptosis of hippocampal neurons by elevating the expression of MALAT1. Our findings provide new experimental data supporting the epigenetic mechanisms in the regulation of stress response and may provide a potential therapeutic target for stress-related cognition dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Wang
- Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Hui Hu
- Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yuhan Wu
- Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yun Zhao
- Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Fang Xie
- Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Zhaowei Sun
- Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Xue Wang
- Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Lingjia Qian
- Beijing Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
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Heinson YW, Han JL, Entcheva E. OptoDyCE-plate as an affordable high throughput imager for all optical cardiac electrophysiology. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.29.555447. [PMID: 37693544 PMCID: PMC10491208 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.29.555447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/12/2023]
Abstract
We present a simple low-cost system for comprehensive functional characterization of cardiac function under spontaneous and paced conditions, in standard 96 and 384-well plates. This full-plate actuator/imager, OptoDyCE-plate, uses optogenetic stimulation and optical readouts of voltage and calcium from all wells in parallel. The system is validated with syncytia of human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes, iPSC-CMs, grown as monolayers, or in quasi-3D isotropic and anisotropic constructs using electrospun matrices, in 96 and 394-well format. Genetic modifications, e.g. interference CRISPR (CRISPRi), and nine compounds of acute and chronic action were tested, including five histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis). Their effects on voltage and calcium were compared across growth conditions and pacing rates. We also demonstrated deployment of optogenetic cell spheroids for point pacing to study conduction in 96-well format, and the use of temporal multiplexing to register voltage and calcium simultaneously on a single camera in this stand-alone platform. Opto-DyCE-plate showed excellent performance even in the small samples in 384-well plates, in the various configurations. Anisotropic structured constructs may provide some benefits in drug testing, although drug responses were consistent across tested configurations. Differential voltage vs. calcium responses were seen for some drugs, especially for non-traditional modulators of cardiac function, e.g. HDACi, and pacing rate was a powerful modulator of drug response, highlighting the need for comprehensive multiparametric assessment, as offered by OptoDyCE-plate. Increasing throughput and speed and reducing cost of screening can help stratify potential compounds early in the drug development process and accelerate the development of safer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Emilia Entcheva
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037
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Li W, McLeod D, Ketzenberger JT, Kowalik G, Russo R, Li Z, Kay MW, Entcheva E. High-throughput optical sensing of peri-cellular oxygen in cardiac cells: system characterization, calibration, and testing. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1214493. [PMID: 37397961 PMCID: PMC10313526 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1214493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) represent a scalable experimental model relevant to human physiology. Oxygen consumption of hiPSC-CMs has not been studied in high-throughput (HT) format plates used in pre-clinical studies. Here, we provide comprehensive characterization and validation of a system for HT long-term optical measurements of peri-cellular oxygen in cardiac syncytia (human iPSC-CM and human cardiac fibroblasts), grown in glass-bottom 96-well plates. Laser-cut oxygen sensors having a ruthenium dye and an oxygen-insensitive reference dye were used. Ratiometric measurements (409 nm excitation) reflected dynamic changes in oxygen, as validated with simultaneous Clark electrode measurements. Emission ratios (653 nm vs. 510 nm) were calibrated for percent oxygen using two-point calibration. Time-dependent changes in the Stern-Volmer parameter, ksv, were observed during the initial 40-90 min of incubation, likely temperature-related. Effects of pH on oxygen measurements were negligible in the pH range of 4-8, with a small ratio reduction for pH > 10. Time-dependent calibration was implemented, and light exposure time was optimized (0.6-0.8 s) for oxygen measurements inside an incubator. Peri-cellular oxygen dropped to levels <5% within 3-10 h for densely-plated hiPSC-CMs in glass-bottom 96-well plates. After the initial oxygen decrease, samples either settled to low steady-state or exhibited intermittent peri-cellular oxygen dynamics. Cardiac fibroblasts showed slower oxygen depletion and higher steady-state levels without oscillations, compared to hiPSC-CMs. Overall, the system has great utility for long-term HT monitoring of peri-cellular oxygen dynamics in vitro for tracking cellular oxygen consumption, metabolic perturbations, and characterization of the maturation of hiPSC-CMs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Zhenyu Li
- Correspondence: Zhenyu Li, ; Matthew W. Kay, ; Emilia Entcheva,
| | - Matthew W. Kay
- Correspondence: Zhenyu Li, ; Matthew W. Kay, ; Emilia Entcheva,
| | - Emilia Entcheva
- Correspondence: Zhenyu Li, ; Matthew W. Kay, ; Emilia Entcheva,
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Han JL, Heinson YW, Chua CJ, Liu W, Entcheva E. CRISPRi Gene Modulation and All-Optical Electrophysiology in Post-Differentiated Human iPSC-Cardiomyocytes. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.07.539756. [PMID: 37214814 PMCID: PMC10197536 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.07.539756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Uncovering gene-phenotype relationships can be enabled by precise gene modulation in human induced pluripotent stem-cell-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) and follow up phenotyping using scalable all-optical electrophysiology platforms. Such efforts towards human functional genomics can be aided by recent CRISPR-derived technologies for reversible gene inhibition or activation (CRISPRi/a). We set out to characterize the performance of CRISPRi in post-differentiated iPSC-CMs, targeting key cardiac ion channel genes, KCNH2, KCNJ2, and GJA1, and providing a multiparametric quantification of the effects on cardiac repolarization, stability of the resting membrane potential and conduction properties using all-optical tools. More potent CRISPRi effectors, e.g. Zim3, and optimized viral delivery led to improved performance on par with the use of CRISPRi iPSC lines. Confirmed mild yet specific phenotype changes when CRISPRi is deployed in non-dividing differentiated heart cells is an important step towards more holistic pre-clinical cardiotoxicity testing and for future therapeutic use in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie L. Han
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington DC 20052, USA
| | - Yuli W. Heinson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington DC 20052, USA
| | - Christianne J. Chua
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington DC 20052, USA
| | - Wei Liu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington DC 20052, USA
| | - Emilia Entcheva
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The George Washington University, Washington DC 20052, USA
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