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Yang Y, Luan Y, Yuan RX, Luan Y. Histone Methylation Related Therapeutic Challenge in Cardiovascular Diseases. Front Cardiovasc Med 2021; 8:710053. [PMID: 34568453 PMCID: PMC8458636 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2021.710053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The epidemic of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is predicted to spread rapidly in advanced countries accompanied by the high prevalence of risk factors. In terms of pathogenesis, the pathophysiology of CVDs is featured by multiple disorders, including vascular inflammation accompanied by simultaneously perturbed pathways, such as cell death and acute/chronic inflammatory reactions. Epigenetic alteration is involved in the regulation of genome stabilization and cellular homeostasis. The association between CVD progression and histone modifications is widely known. Among the histone modifications, histone methylation is a reversible process involved in the development and homeostasis of the cardiovascular system. Abnormal methylation can promote CVD progression. This review discusses histone methylation and the enzymes involved in the cardiovascular system and determine the effects of histone methyltransferases and demethylases on the pathogenesis of CVDs. We will further demonstrate key proteins mediated by histone methylation in blood vessels and review histone methylation-mediated cardiomyocytes and cellular functions and pathways in CVDs. Finally, we will summarize the role of inhibitors of histone methylation and demethylation in CVDs and analyze their therapeutic potential, based on previous studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Yang
- Department of Translational Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Ying Luan
- Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Rui-Xia Yuan
- Department of Translational Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Yi Luan
- Department of Translational Medicine Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
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Ambrosini S, Mohammed SA, Costantino S, Paneni F. Disentangling the epigenetic landscape in cardiovascular patients: a path toward personalized medicine. Minerva Cardiol Angiol 2020; 69:331-345. [PMID: 32996305 DOI: 10.23736/s2724-5683.20.05326-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Despite significant advances in our understanding of cardiovascular disease (CVD) we are still far from having developed breakthrough strategies to combat coronary atherosclerosis and heart failure, which account for most of CV deaths worldwide. Available cardiovascular therapies have failed to show to be equally effective in all patients, suggesting that inter-individual diversity is an important factor when it comes to conceive and deliver effective personalized treatments. Genome mapping has proved useful in identifying patients who could benefit more from specific drugs depending on genetic variances; however, our genetic make-up determines only a limited part of an individual's risk profile. Recent studies have demonstrated that epigenetic changes - defined as dynamic changes of DNA and histones which do not affect DNA sequence - are key players in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease and may participate to delineate cardiovascular risk trajectories over the lifetime. Epigenetic modifications include changes in DNA methylation, histone modifications and non-coding RNAs and these epigenetic signals have shown to cooperate in modulating chromatin accessibility to transcription factors and gene expression. Environmental factors such as air pollution, smoking, psychosocial context, and unhealthy diet regimens have shown to significantly modify the epigenome thus leading to altered transcriptional programs and CVD phenotypes. Therefore, the integration of genetic and epigenetic information might be invaluable to build individual maps of cardiovascular risk and hence, could be employed for the design of customized diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. In the present review, we discuss the growing importance of epigenetic information and its putative implications in cardiovascular precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuele Ambrosini
- Center for Molecular Cardiology, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Shafeeq A Mohammed
- Center for Molecular Cardiology, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sarah Costantino
- Center for Molecular Cardiology, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Francesco Paneni
- Center for Molecular Cardiology, University of Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland - .,Department of Cardiology, University Heart Center, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Research and Education, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Abstract
Aging is associated with a progressive decline in cardiovascular structure and function. Accumulating evidence links cardiovascular aging to epigenetic alterations encompassing a complex interplay of DNA methylation, histone posttranslational modifications, and dynamic nucleosome occupancy governed by numerous epigenetic factors. Advances in genomics technology have led to a profound understanding of chromatin reorganization in both cardiovascular aging and diseases. This review summarizes recent discoveries in epigenetic mechanisms involved in cardiovascular aging and diseases and discusses potential therapeutic strategies to retard cardiovascular aging and conquer related diseases through the rejuvenation of epigenetic signatures to a young state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqi Zhang
- From the Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China (W.Z., G.-H.L.).,National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics (W.Z., G.-H.L.), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.,Institute of Stem Cell and Regeneration (W.Z., M.S., J.Q., G.-H.L.), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (W.Z., M.S., J.Q., G.-H.L.)
| | - Moshi Song
- State Key Laboratory of Membrane Biology, Institute of Zoology (M.S.), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.,Institute of Stem Cell and Regeneration (W.Z., M.S., J.Q., G.-H.L.), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (W.Z., M.S., J.Q., G.-H.L.)
| | - Jing Qu
- State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology (J.Q.), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.,Institute of Stem Cell and Regeneration (W.Z., M.S., J.Q., G.-H.L.), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (W.Z., M.S., J.Q., G.-H.L.)
| | - Guang-Hui Liu
- From the Advanced Innovation Center for Human Brain Protection, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University, Beijing, China (W.Z., G.-H.L.).,National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, CAS Center for Excellence in Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics (W.Z., G.-H.L.), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.,Institute of Stem Cell and Regeneration (W.Z., M.S., J.Q., G.-H.L.), Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (W.Z., M.S., J.Q., G.-H.L.)
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4
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Lai HL, Grachoff M, Marion AL, Khan FF, Warren CM, Chowdhury SA, Wolska BM, Solaro RJ, Geenen DL, Wang QT. Maintenance of adult cardiac function requires the chromatin factor Asxl2. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2012; 53:734-41. [PMID: 23046516 PMCID: PMC3472135 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2012.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2011] [Revised: 08/16/2012] [Accepted: 08/18/2012] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
During development and differentiation, cell type-specific chromatin configurations are set up to facilitate cell type-specific gene expression. Defects in the establishment or the maintenance of the correct chromatin configuration have been associated with diseases ranging from leukemia to muscular dystrophy. The heart expresses many chromatin factors, and we are only beginning to understand their roles in heart development and function. We have previously shown that the chromatin regulator Asxl2 is highly expressed in the murine heart both during development and adulthood. In the absence of Asxl2, there is a significant reduction in trimethylation of histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27), a histone mark associated with lineage-specific silencing of developmental genes. Here we present evidence that Asxl2 is required for the long-term maintenance of ventricular function and for the maintenance of normal cardiac gene expression. Asxl2(-/-) hearts displayed progressive deterioration of ventricular function. By 10 months of age, there was ~37% reduction in fractional shortening in Asxl2(-/-) hearts compared to wild-type. Analysis of the expression of myofibril proteins suggests that Asxl2 is required for the repression of β-MHC. Asxl2(-/-) hearts did not exhibit hypertrophy, suggesting that the de-repression of β-MHC was not the result of hypertrophic response. Instead, Asxl2 and the histone methyltansferase Ezh2 co-localize to β-MHC promoter, suggesting that Asxl2 directly represses β-MHC. Interrogation of the CardioGenomics database revealed that ASXL2 is down-regulated in the hearts of patients with ischemic or idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. We propose that chromatin factors like Asxl2 function in the adult heart to regulate cell type- and stage-specific patterns of gene expression, and the disruption of such regulation may be involved in the etiology and/or development of certain forms of human heart disease.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Blood Pressure
- Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/metabolism
- Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/pathology
- Cardiomyopathy, Dilated/physiopathology
- Case-Control Studies
- Cell Size
- Cyclic AMP-Dependent Protein Kinases/metabolism
- Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein
- Female
- Gene Expression Regulation
- HEK293 Cells
- Humans
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, 129 Strain
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Knockout
- Myocardium/enzymology
- Myocardium/metabolism
- Myocardium/pathology
- Myocytes, Cardiac/enzymology
- Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism
- Myocytes, Cardiac/physiology
- Myosin Heavy Chains/genetics
- Myosin Heavy Chains/metabolism
- Phosphorylation
- Polycomb Repressive Complex 2/metabolism
- Promoter Regions, Genetic
- Protein Processing, Post-Translational
- Repressor Proteins/genetics
- Repressor Proteins/metabolism
- Signal Transduction
- Stroke Volume
- Troponin I/metabolism
- Ventricular Function
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiao-Lei Lai
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 900 S Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Milana Grachoff
- Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology and the Center for Cardiovascular Research, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S Wood Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Andrea L. Marion
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 900 S Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Farida F. Khan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 900 S Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60607, USA
| | - Chad M. Warren
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Center for Cardiovascular Research, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 835 S. Wolcott Ave, Chicago, IL 60612-7342, USA
| | - Shamim A.K. Chowdhury
- Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology and the Center for Cardiovascular Research, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S Wood Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Beata M. Wolska
- Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology and the Center for Cardiovascular Research, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S Wood Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - R. John Solaro
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Center for Cardiovascular Research, College of Medicine, University of Illinois at Chicago, 835 S. Wolcott Ave, Chicago, IL 60612-7342, USA
| | - David L. Geenen
- Department of Medicine, Section of Cardiology and the Center for Cardiovascular Research, University of Illinois at Chicago, 840 S Wood Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
| | - Q. Tian Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, 900 S Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60607, USA
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5
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Wang QT. Epigenetic regulation of cardiac development and function by polycomb group and trithorax group proteins. Dev Dyn 2012; 241:1021-33. [PMID: 22514007 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.23796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/11/2012] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Heart disease is a leading cause of death and disability in developed countries. Heart disease includes a broad range of diseases that affect the development and/or function of the cardiovascular system. Some of these diseases, such as congenital heart defects, are present at birth. Others develop over time and may be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Many of the known heart diseases are associated with abnormal expression of genes. Understanding the factors and mechanisms that regulate gene expression in the heart is essential for the detection, treatment, and prevention of heart diseases. Polycomb Group (PcG) and Trithorax Group (TrxG) proteins are special families of chromatin factors that regulate developmental gene expression in many tissues and organs. Accumulating evidence suggests that these proteins are important regulators of development and function of the heart as well. A better understanding of their roles and functional mechanisms will translate into new opportunities for combating heart disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Q Tian Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60607, USA.
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Abstract
The cardiovascular system is broadly composed of the heart, which pumps blood, and the blood vessels, which carry blood to and from tissues of the body. Heart malformations are the most serious common birth defect, affecting at least 2% of newborns and leading to significant morbidity and mortality. Severe heart malformations cause heart failure in fetuses, infants, and children, whereas milder heart defects may not trigger significant heart dysfunction until early or midadulthood. Severe vasculogenesis or angiogenesis defects in embryos are incompatible with life, and anomalous arterial patterning may cause vascular aberrancies that often require surgical treatment. It is therefore important to understand the underlying mechanisms that control cardiovascular development. Understanding developmental mechanisms will also help us design better strategies to regenerate cardiovascular tissues for therapeutic purposes. An important mechanism regulating genes involves the modification of chromatin, the higher-order structure in which DNA is packaged. Recent studies have greatly expanded our understanding of the regulation of cardiovascular development at the chromatin level, including the remodeling of chromatin and the modification of histones. Chromatin-level regulation integrates multiple inputs and coordinates broad gene expression programs. Thus, understanding chromatin-level regulation will allow for a better appreciation of gene regulation as a whole and may set a fundamental basis for cardiovascular disease. This review focuses on how chromatin-remodeling and histone-modifying factors regulate gene expression to control cardiovascular development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ching-Pin Chang
- Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California 94305, USA.
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Lu YW, Li J, Guo WJ. Expression and clinicopathological significance of Mel-18 and Bmi-1 mRNA in gastric carcinoma. JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL & CLINICAL CANCER RESEARCH : CR 2010; 29:143. [PMID: 21059209 PMCID: PMC2993658 DOI: 10.1186/1756-9966-29-143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2010] [Accepted: 11/08/2010] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Background The Polycomb group (PcG) genes are a class of regulators responsible for maintaining homeotic gene expression throughout cell division. PcG expression is deregulated in some types of human cancer. Both Bmi-1 and Mel-18 are of the key PcG proteins. We investigate the expression and clinicopathological roles of Mel-18 and Bmi-1 mRNA in gastric cancer. Methods The expression of Mel-18 and Bmi-1 in a series of 71 gastric cancer tissues and paired normal mucosal tissues distant from the tumorous lesion was assayed by quantitative real time RT-PCR. The correlation between Mel-18 and Bmi-1 mRNA expression, and between Mel-18 or Bmi-1 mRNA level and clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed. Results Expression of Mel-18 and Bmi-1 genes was variably detected, but overexpression of Bmi-1 mRNA and decreased expression of Mel-18 mRNA were the most frequent alteration. In addition, the expression of Bmi-1 and Mel-18 mRNA inversely correlates in gastric tumors. Moreover, a significant positive correlation between Bmi-1 overexpression and tumor size, depth of invasion, or lymph node metastasis, and a significant negative correlation between Mel-18 low-expression with lymph node metastasis or the clinical stage were observed. Conclusion Our data suggest that Mel-18 and Bmi-1 may play crucial but opposite roles in gastric cancer. Decreased Mel-18 and increased Bmi-1 mRNA expression was associated with the carcinogenesis and progression of gastric cancer. It is possible to list Bmi-1 and Mel-18 as biomarkers for predicting the prognosis of gastric cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- You-Wei Lu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center; China.
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Silva J, García JM, Peña C, García V, Domínguez G, Suárez D, Camacho FI, Espinosa R, Provencio M, España P, Bonilla F. Implication of polycomb members Bmi-1, Mel-18, and Hpc-2 in the regulation of p16INK4a, p14ARF, h-TERT, and c-Myc expression in primary breast carcinomas. Clin Cancer Res 2007; 12:6929-36. [PMID: 17145810 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-06-0788] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Deregulation of mammalian Polycomb group (PcG) members may contribute to human carcinogenesis. p16INK4a and p14ARF tumor suppressors, human telomerase reverse transcriptase (h-TERT), and oncoprotein c-Myc have been implicated in the regulation of the cell cycle and proliferation mediated by PcG proteins, mainly Bmi-1, in mice and in cell culture experiments. Here, we examine whether these in vitro findings can be extrapolated to the in vivo situation. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We measure the expression of PcG members Bmi-1, Mel-18, and Hpc-2 and their potential targets by reverse transcription-PCR, immunostaining, and Western blotting in a series of 134 breast carcinomas and correlate the data with several clinical-pathologic variables of the tumors. RESULTS Expression of PcG genes was variably detected, but overexpression of Bmi-1 was the most frequent PcG alteration observed. In addition, statistical direct correlation in expression level of the three PcG members was detected. A correlation between c-Myc and Bmi-1 expression levels was observed; however, there was no correlation between expression of Bmi-1 and p16INK4a, p14ARF, or h-TERT. However, expression of the other PcG members Mel-18 and Hpc-2 correlated with the cell cycle regulators. Moreover, PcG mRNA-altered expression correlated significantly with certain clinical-pathologic variables associated with poor prognosis. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that the oncogenic role of Bmi-1 in human primary breast carcinomas is not determined by its capacity to inhibit INK4a/ARF proteins or to induce telomerase activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Silva
- Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, Spain
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Raaphorst FM. Deregulated expression of Polycomb-group oncogenes in human malignant lymphomas and epithelial tumors. Hum Mol Genet 2005; 14 Spec No 1:R93-R100. [PMID: 15809278 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddi111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Genes belonging to the Polycomb-group (PcG) are epigenetic gene silencers with a vital role in the maintenance of cell identity. They contribute to regulation of various processes in both embryos and adults, including the cell cycle and lymphopoiesis. A growing body of work has linked human PcG genes to various hematological and epithelial cancers, identifying novel mechanisms of malignant transformation and paving the way to development of new cancer treatments and identification of novel diagnostic markers. This review addresses the current insights in the role of PcG genes in development of human malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank M Raaphorst
- Department of Pathology, VU Medical Center, De Boelelaan 1117, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Lo ASY, Liew CT, Ngai SM, Tsui SKW, Fung KP, Lee CY, Waye MMY. Developmental regulation and cellular distribution of human cytosolic malate dehydrogenase (MDH1). J Cell Biochem 2005; 94:763-73. [PMID: 15565635 DOI: 10.1002/jcb.20343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Human cyotsolic malate dehydrogenase (MDH1) is important in transporting NADH equivalents across the mitochondrial membrane, controlling tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle pool size and providing contractile function. Cellular localization studies indicate that MDH1 mRNA expression has a strong tissue-specific distribution, being expressed primarily in cardiac and skeletal muscle and in the brain, at intermediate levels in the spleen, kidney, intestine, liver, and testes and at low levels in lung and bone marrow. The observed MDH1 localizations reflect the role of NADH in the support of a variety of functions in different organs. These functions are primarily related to aerobic energy production for muscle contraction, neuronal signal transmission, absorption/resorption functions, collagen-supporting functions, phagocytosis of dead cells, and processes related to gas exchange and cell division. During neonatal development, MDH1 is expressed in human embryonic heart as early as the 3rd month and then is over-expressed from the 5th month until the birth. The expression of MDH1 is maintained in the adult heart but is not present in levels as high as in the fetus. Finally, over-expression of MDH1 is found in left ventricular cardiac muscle of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) patients when contrasted to the diseased non-DCM and normal heart muscle by in situ hybridization and Western blot. These observations are compatible with the activation of glucose oxidation in relatively hypoxic environments of fetal and hypertrophied myocardium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnes Shuk-Yee Lo
- Department of Biochemistry, Croucher Laboratory for Human Genomics and The Hong Kong Bioinformatics Center, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Shirai M, Osugi T, Koga H, Kaji Y, Takimoto E, Komuro I, Hara J, Miwa T, Yamauchi-Takihara K, Takihara Y. The Polycomb-group gene Rae28 sustains Nkx2.5/Csx expression and is essential for cardiac morphogenesis. J Clin Invest 2002. [DOI: 10.1172/jci0214839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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12
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Shirai M, Osugi T, Koga H, Kaji Y, Takimoto E, Komuro I, Hara J, Miwa T, Yamauchi-Takihara K, Takihara Y. The Polycomb-group gene Rae28 sustains Nkx2.5/Csx expression and is essential for cardiac morphogenesis. J Clin Invest 2002; 110:177-84. [PMID: 12122109 PMCID: PMC151044 DOI: 10.1172/jci14839] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Polycomb-group (PcG) gene Rae28 is a mammalian homologue of the Drosophila gene polyhomeotic. PcG genes are known to maintain transcription states, once initiated, probably by regulating chromatin structure. Since homozygous Rae28-deficient (Rae28(-/-)) mice displayed cardiac anomalies similar to congenital heart diseases in humans, we examined the role of Rae28 in cardiac morphogenesis at the molecular level. In Rae28(-/-) embryos, expression of the cardiac selector gene Nkx2.5/Csx (Nkx2.5) was initiated properly but was not sufficiently sustained later in development. This impaired expression of Nkx2.5 in the maintenance phase proved to have a crucial effect on cardiac morphogenesis, as demonstrated by the results of a genetic complementation experiment in which the cardiac anomalies were suppressed by overexpression of human NKX2.5/CSX1 in Rae28(-/-) embryos. Ubiquitous expression of exogenous Rae28 likewise restored the impaired Nkx2.5 expression in Rae28(-/-) embryos, further supporting the notion that Rae28 sustains Nkx2.5 expression in cardiomyocytes. Thus, our data show that a mammalian PcG gene can play a key role in organogenesis by helping to maintain the expression of a selector gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manabu Shirai
- Department of Developmental Biology and Medicine, Osaka Medical Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases, Higashinari, Japan
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