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Williams ZJ, Alvarez-Laviada A, Hoagland D, Jourdan LJ, Poelzing S, Gorelik J, Gourdie RG. Development and characterization of the mode-of-action of inhibitory and agonist peptides targeting the voltage-gated sodium channel SCN1B beta-subunit. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2024; 194:32-45. [PMID: 38942073 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2024.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 06/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
Cardiac arrhythmia treatment is a clinical challenge necessitating safer and more effective therapies. Recent studies have highlighted the role of the perinexus, an intercalated disc nanodomain enriched in voltage-gated sodium channels including both Nav1.5 and β1 subunits, adjacent to gap junctions. These findings offer insights into action potential conduction in the heart. A 19-amino acid SCN1B (β1/β1B) mimetic peptide, βadp1, disrupts VGSC beta subunit-mediated adhesion in cardiac perinexii, inducing arrhythmogenic changes. We aimed to explore βadp1's mechanism and develop novel SCN1B mimetic peptides affecting β1-mediated adhesion. Using patch clamp assays in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and electric cell substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) in β1-expressing cells, we observed βadp1 maintained inhibitory effects for up to 5 h. A shorter peptide (LQLEED) based on the carboxyl-terminus of βadp1 mimicked this inhibitory effect, while dimeric peptides containing repeated LQLEED sequences paradoxically promoted intercellular adhesion over longer time courses. Moreover, we found a link between these peptides and β1-regulated intramembrane proteolysis (RIP) - a signaling pathway effecting gene transcription including that of VGSC subunits. βadp1 increased RIP continuously over 48 h, while dimeric agonists acutely boosted RIP for up to 6 h. In the presence of DAPT, an RIP inhibitor, βadp1's effects on ECIS-measured intercellular adhesion was reduced, suggesting a relationship between RIP and the peptide's inhibitory action. In conclusion, novel SCN1B (β1/β1B) mimetic peptides are reported with the potential to modulate intercellular VGSC β1-mediated adhesion, potentially through β1 RIP. These findings suggest a path towards the development of anti-arrhythmic drugs targeting the perinexus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zachary J Williams
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, VA, United States
| | | | - Daniel Hoagland
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, VA, United States
| | - L Jane Jourdan
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, VA, United States
| | - Steven Poelzing
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, VA, United States; School of Medicine, Virgina Polytechnic University, Roanoke, VA, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, VA, United States
| | - Julia Gorelik
- Department of Myocardial Function, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Robert G Gourdie
- Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, VA, United States; School of Medicine, Virgina Polytechnic University, Roanoke, VA, United States; Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, VA, United States.
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Aschner A, Keller A, Williams A, Whitney R, Cunningham K, Hamilton RM, Pollanen M, Donner E. Cardiac arrhythmia and epilepsy genetic variants in sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. Front Neurol 2024; 15:1386730. [PMID: 38756210 PMCID: PMC11097959 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1386730] [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: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) is the leading epilepsy-related cause of death, affecting approximately 1 per 1,000 individuals with epilepsy per year. Genetic variants that affect autonomic function, such as genes associated with cardiac arrhythmias, may predispose people with epilepsy to greater risk of both sudden cardiac death and SUDEP. Advances in next generation sequencing allow for the exploration of gene variants as potential biomarkers. Methods Genetic testing for the presence of cardiac arrhythmia and epilepsy gene variants was performed via genetic panels in 39 cases of SUDEP identified via autopsy by the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service. Variants were summarized by in-silico evidence for pathogenicity from 4 algorithms (SIFT, PolyPhen-2, PROVEAN, Mutation Taster) and allele frequencies in the general population (GnomAD). A maximum credible population allele frequency of 0.00004 was calculated based on epilepsy prevalence and SUDEP incidence to assess whether a variant was compatible with a pathogenic interpretation. Results Median age at the time of death was 33.3 years (range: 2, 60). Fifty-nine percent (n=23) were male. Gene panels detected 62 unique variants in 45 genes: 19 on the arrhythmia panel and 26 on the epilepsy panel. At least one variant was identified in 28 (72%) of decedents. Missense mutations comprised 57 (92%) of the observed variants. At least three in silico models predicted 12 (46%) cardiac arrhythmia panel missense variants and 20 (65%) epilepsy panel missense variants were pathogenic. Population allele frequencies were <0.00004 for 11 (42%) of the cardiac variants and 10 (32%) of the epilepsy variants. Together, these metrics identified 13 SUDEP variants of interest. Discussion Nearly three-quarters of decedents in this SUDEP cohort carried variants in comprehensive epilepsy or cardiac arrhythmia gene panels, with more than a third having variants in both panels. The proportion of decedents with cardiac variants aligns with recent studies of the disproportionate cardiac burden the epilepsy community faces compared to the general population and suggests a possible cardiac contribution to epilepsy mortality. These results identified 13 priority targets for future functional studies of these genes potential role in sudden death and demonstrates the necessity for further exploration of potential genetic contributions to SUDEP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Aschner
- Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anne Keller
- Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Andrew Williams
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Robyn Whitney
- McMaster Children’s Hospital, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Kris Cunningham
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Robert M. Hamilton
- Division of Cardiology, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Michael Pollanen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Elizabeth Donner
- Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Zhang B, Wu Y, Yang X, Xiang Y, Yang B. Molecular insight into arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy caused by DSG2 mutations. Biomed Pharmacother 2023; 167:115448. [PMID: 37696084 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115448] [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: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutant desmoglein 2 (DSG2) is the second most common pathogenic gene in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM), accounting for approximately 10% of ACM cases. In addition to common clinical and pathological features, ACM caused by mutant DSG2 has specific characteristics, manifesting as left ventricle involvement and a high risk of heart failure. Pathological studies have shown extensive cardiomyocyte necrosis, infiltration of immune cells, and fibrofatty replacement in both ventricles, as well as abnormal desmosome structures in the hearts of humans and mice with mutant DSG2-related ACM. Although desmosome dysfunction is a common pathway in the pathogenesis of mutant DSG2-related ACM, the mechanisms underlying this dysfunction vary among mutations. Desmosome dysfunction induces cardiomyocyte injury, plakoglobin dislocation, and gap junction dysfunction, all of which contribute to the initiation and progression of ACM. Additionally, dysregulated inflammation, overactivation of transforming growth factor-beta-1 signaling and endoplasmic reticulum stress, and cardiac metabolic dysfunction contribute to the pathogenesis of ACM caused by mutant DSG2. These features demonstrate that patients with mutant DSG2-related ACM should be managed individually and precisely based on the genotype and phenotype. Further studies are needed to investigate the underlying mechanisms and to identify novel therapies to reverse or attenuate the progression of ACM caused by mutant DSG2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baowei Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, 150 Jimo Road, Pudong, Shanghai 200120, PR China
| | - Yizhang Wu
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, 150 Jimo Road, Pudong, Shanghai 200120, PR China
| | - Xingbo Yang
- Shanghai East Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, 150 Jimo Road, Pudong, Shanghai 200120, PR China
| | - Yaozu Xiang
- Shanghai East Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, 150 Jimo Road, Pudong, Shanghai 200120, PR China.
| | - Bing Yang
- Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, 150 Jimo Road, Pudong, Shanghai 200120, PR China.
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Vielmuth F, Radeva MY, Yeruva S, Sigmund AM, Waschke J. cAMP: A master regulator of cadherin-mediated binding in endothelium, epithelium and myocardium. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2023; 238:e14006. [PMID: 37243909 DOI: 10.1111/apha.14006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Regulation of cadherin-mediated cell adhesion is crucial not only for maintaining tissue integrity and barrier function in the endothelium and epithelium but also for electromechanical coupling within the myocardium. Therefore, loss of cadherin-mediated adhesion causes various disorders, including vascular inflammation and desmosome-related diseases such as the autoimmune blistering skin dermatosis pemphigus and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. Mechanisms regulating cadherin-mediated binding contribute to the pathogenesis of diseases and may also be used as therapeutic targets. Over the last 30 years, cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) has emerged as one of the master regulators of cell adhesion in endothelium and, more recently, also in epithelial cells as well as in cardiomyocytes. A broad spectrum of experimental models from vascular physiology and cell biology applied by different generations of researchers provided evidence that not only cadherins of endothelial adherens junctions (AJ) but also desmosomal contacts in keratinocytes and the cardiomyocyte intercalated discs are central targets in this scenario. The molecular mechanisms involve protein kinase A- and exchange protein directly activated by cAMP-mediated regulation of Rho family GTPases and S665 phosphorylation of the AJ and desmosome adaptor protein plakoglobin. In line with this, phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitors such as apremilast have been proposed as a therapeutic strategy to stabilize cadherin-mediated adhesion in pemphigus and may also be effective to treat other disorders where cadherin-mediated binding is compromised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franziska Vielmuth
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Mariya Y Radeva
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sunil Yeruva
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna M Sigmund
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Jens Waschke
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
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Yeruva S, Stangner K, Jungwirth A, Hiermaier M, Shoykhet M, Kugelmann D, Hertl M, Egami S, Ishii N, Koga H, Hashimoto T, Weis M, Beckmann BM, Biller R, Schüttler D, Kääb S, Waschke J. Catalytic antibodies in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy patients cleave desmoglein 2 and N-cadherin and impair cardiomyocyte cohesion. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:203. [PMID: 37450050 PMCID: PMC10348947 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-04853-1] [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: 02/10/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (AC) is a severe heart disease predisposing to ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death caused by mutations affecting intercalated disc (ICD) proteins and aggravated by physical exercise. Recently, autoantibodies targeting ICD proteins, including the desmosomal cadherin desmoglein 2 (DSG2), were reported in AC patients and were considered relevant for disease development and progression, particularly in patients without underlying pathogenic mutations. However, it is unclear at present whether these autoantibodies are pathogenic and by which mechanisms show specificity for DSG2 and thus can be used as a diagnostic tool. METHODS AND RESULTS IgG fractions were purified from 15 AC patients and 4 healthy controls. Immunostainings dissociation assays, atomic force microscopy (AFM), Western blot analysis and Triton X-100 assays were performed utilizing human heart left ventricle tissue, HL-1 cells and murine cardiac slices. Immunostainings revealed that autoantibodies against ICD proteins are prevalent in AC and most autoantibody fractions have catalytic properties and cleave the ICD adhesion molecules DSG2 and N-cadherin, thereby reducing cadherin interactions as revealed by AFM. Furthermore, most of the AC-IgG fractions causing loss of cardiomyocyte cohesion activated p38MAPK, which is known to contribute to a loss of desmosomal adhesion in different cell types, including cardiomyocytes. In addition, p38MAPK inhibition rescued the loss of cardiomyocyte cohesion induced by AC-IgGs. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrates that catalytic autoantibodies play a pathogenic role by cleaving ICD cadherins and thereby reducing cardiomyocyte cohesion by a mechanism involving p38MAPK activation. Finally, we conclude that DSG2 cleavage by autoantibodies could be used as a diagnostic tool for AC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil Yeruva
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstrasse 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Konstanze Stangner
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstrasse 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Jungwirth
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstrasse 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias Hiermaier
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstrasse 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Maria Shoykhet
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstrasse 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
- Department of Otorhinolarynology, Technical University of Munich and University Hospital rechts der Isar, Ismaningerstrasse 22, 81675, Munich, Germany
| | - Daniela Kugelmann
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstrasse 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Michael Hertl
- Department of Dermatology and Allergology, Philipps-University Marburg, 35037, Marburg, Germany
| | - Shohei Egami
- Department of Dermatology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Norito Ishii
- Department of Dermatology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Koga
- Department of Dermatology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, Japan
| | - Takashi Hashimoto
- Department of Dermatology, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka City Metropolitan University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Michael Weis
- Krankenhaus Neuwittelsbach, Fachklinik Für Innere Medizin, Munich, Germany
| | - Britt-Maria Beckmann
- Department of Medicine I, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU), Campus Großhadern, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Legal Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Ruth Biller
- ARVC-Selbsthilfe E.V, Patient Association, Munich, Germany
| | - Dominik Schüttler
- Department of Medicine I, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU), Campus Großhadern, Munich, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Munich Heart Alliance (MHA), Partner Site Munich, Munich, Germany
- Walter Brendel Centre of Experimental Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU), Munich, Germany
- Interfaculty Center for Endocrine and Cardiovascular Disease Network Modelling and Clinical Transfer (ICON), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefan Kääb
- Department of Medicine I, University Hospital Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU), Campus Großhadern, Munich, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Munich Heart Alliance (MHA), Partner Site Munich, Munich, Germany
- Interfaculty Center for Endocrine and Cardiovascular Disease Network Modelling and Clinical Transfer (ICON), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Member of the European Reference Network for rare, low prevalance and complex diseases of the heart , ERN GUARD-Heart, Munich, Germany
| | - Jens Waschke
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstrasse 11, 80336, Munich, Germany.
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Shoykhet M, Dervishi O, Menauer P, Hiermaier M, Moztarzadeh S, Osterloh C, Ludwig RJ, Williams T, Gerull B, Kääb S, Clauss S, Schüttler D, Waschke J, Yeruva S. EGFR inhibition leads to enhanced desmosome assembly and cardiomyocyte cohesion via ROCK activation. JCI Insight 2023; 8:163763. [PMID: 36795511 PMCID: PMC10070108 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.163763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (AC) is a familial heart disease partly caused by impaired desmosome turnover. Thus, stabilization of desmosome integrity may provide new treatment options. Desmosomes, apart from cellular cohesion, provide the structural framework of a signaling hub. Here, we investigated the role of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in cardiomyocyte cohesion. We inhibited EGFR under physiological and pathophysiological conditions using the murine plakoglobin-KO AC model, in which EGFR was upregulated. EGFR inhibition enhanced cardiomyocyte cohesion. Immunoprecipitation showed an interaction of EGFR and desmoglein 2 (DSG2). Immunostaining and atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed enhanced DSG2 localization and binding at cell borders upon EGFR inhibition. Enhanced area composita length and desmosome assembly were observed upon EGFR inhibition, confirmed by enhanced DSG2 and desmoplakin (DP) recruitment to cell borders. PamGene Kinase assay performed in HL-1 cardiomyocytes treated with erlotinib, an EGFR inhibitor, revealed upregulation of Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK). Erlotinib-mediated desmosome assembly and cardiomyocyte cohesion were abolished upon ROCK inhibition. Thus, inhibiting EGFR and, thereby, stabilizing desmosome integrity via ROCK might provide treatment options for AC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Shoykhet
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Orsela Dervishi
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Philipp Menauer
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias Hiermaier
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Sina Moztarzadeh
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Colin Osterloh
- Lübeck Institute of Experimental Dermatology and Center for Research on Inflammation of the Skin, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Ralf J Ludwig
- Lübeck Institute of Experimental Dermatology and Center for Research on Inflammation of the Skin, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Tatjana Williams
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center and Department of Medicine I, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Brenda Gerull
- Comprehensive Heart Failure Center and Department of Medicine I, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Kääb
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I, LMU Hospital, LMU, Munich, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Munich, Munich Heart Alliance (MHA), Munich, Germany
- Interfaculty Center for Endocrine and Cardiovascular Disease Network Modeling and Clinical Transfer (ICONLMU), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sebastian Clauss
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I, LMU Hospital, LMU, Munich, Germany
- DZHK (German Centre for Cardiovascular Research), Partner Site Munich, Munich Heart Alliance (MHA), Munich, Germany
- Interfaculty Center for Endocrine and Cardiovascular Disease Network Modeling and Clinical Transfer (ICONLMU), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Surgical Research at the Walter-Brendel-Centre of Experimental Medicine, LMU Hospital, LMU, Munich, Germany
| | - Dominik Schüttler
- Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik I, LMU Hospital, LMU, Munich, Germany
- Interfaculty Center for Endocrine and Cardiovascular Disease Network Modeling and Clinical Transfer (ICONLMU), LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Surgical Research at the Walter-Brendel-Centre of Experimental Medicine, LMU Hospital, LMU, Munich, Germany
| | - Jens Waschke
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU), Munich, Germany
| | - Sunil Yeruva
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU), Munich, Germany
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Schinner C, Xu L, Franz H, Zimmermann A, Wanuske MT, Rathod M, Hanns P, Geier F, Pelczar P, Liang Y, Lorenz V, Stüdle C, Maly PI, Kauferstein S, Beckmann BM, Sheikh F, Kuster GM, Spindler V. Defective Desmosomal Adhesion Causes Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy by Involving an Integrin-αVβ6/TGF-β Signaling Cascade. Circulation 2022; 146:1610-1626. [PMID: 36268721 PMCID: PMC9674449 DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.121.057329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is characterized by progressive loss of cardiomyocytes with fibrofatty tissue replacement, systolic dysfunction, and life-threatening arrhythmias. A substantial proportion of ACM is caused by mutations in genes of the desmosomal cell-cell adhesion complex, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In the current study, we investigated the relevance of defective desmosomal adhesion for ACM development and progression. METHODS We mutated the binding site of DSG2 (desmoglein-2), a crucial desmosomal adhesion molecule in cardiomyocytes. This DSG2-W2A mutation abrogates the tryptophan swap, a central interaction mechanism of DSG2 on the basis of structural data. Impaired adhesive function of DSG2-W2A was confirmed by cell-cell dissociation assays and force spectroscopy measurements by atomic force microscopy. The DSG2-W2A knock-in mouse model was analyzed by echocardiography, ECG, and histologic and biomolecular techniques including RNA sequencing and transmission electron and superresolution microscopy. The results were compared with ACM patient samples, and their relevance was confirmed in vivo and in cardiac slice cultures by inhibitor studies applying the small molecule EMD527040 or an inhibitory integrin-αVβ6 antibody. RESULTS The DSG2-W2A mutation impaired binding on molecular level and compromised intercellular adhesive function. Mice bearing this mutation develop a severe cardiac phenotype recalling the characteristics of ACM, including cardiac fibrosis, impaired systolic function, and arrhythmia. A comparison of the transcriptome of mutant mice with ACM patient data suggested deregulated integrin-αVβ6 and subsequent transforming growth factor-β signaling as driver of cardiac fibrosis. Blocking integrin-αVβ6 led to reduced expression of profibrotic markers and reduced fibrosis formation in mutant animals in vivo. CONCLUSIONS We show that disruption of desmosomal adhesion is sufficient to induce a phenotype that fulfils the clinical criteria to establish the diagnosis of ACM, confirming the dysfunctional adhesion hypothesis. Deregulation of integrin-αVβ6 and transforming growth factor-β signaling was identified as a central step toward fibrosis. A pilot in vivo drug test revealed this pathway as a promising target to ameliorate fibrosis. This highlights the value of this model to discern mechanisms of cardiac fibrosis and to identify and test novel treatment options for ACM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Schinner
- Department of Biomedicine, Section Anatomy (C. Schinner, H.F., A.Z., M.-T.W., M.R., P.H., C. Stüdle, P.I.M., V.S.), University of Basel, Switzerland
| | - Lifen Xu
- Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Switzerland (L.X., V.L., G.M.K.)
| | - Henriette Franz
- Department of Biomedicine, Section Anatomy (C. Schinner, H.F., A.Z., M.-T.W., M.R., P.H., C. Stüdle, P.I.M., V.S.), University of Basel, Switzerland
| | - Aude Zimmermann
- Department of Biomedicine, Section Anatomy (C. Schinner, H.F., A.Z., M.-T.W., M.R., P.H., C. Stüdle, P.I.M., V.S.), University of Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marie-Therès Wanuske
- Department of Biomedicine, Section Anatomy (C. Schinner, H.F., A.Z., M.-T.W., M.R., P.H., C. Stüdle, P.I.M., V.S.), University of Basel, Switzerland
| | - Maitreyi Rathod
- Department of Biomedicine, Section Anatomy (C. Schinner, H.F., A.Z., M.-T.W., M.R., P.H., C. Stüdle, P.I.M., V.S.), University of Basel, Switzerland
| | - Pauline Hanns
- Department of Biomedicine, Section Anatomy (C. Schinner, H.F., A.Z., M.-T.W., M.R., P.H., C. Stüdle, P.I.M., V.S.), University of Basel, Switzerland
| | - Florian Geier
- Department of Biomedicine, Bioinformatics Core Facility (F.G.), University Hospital Basel, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Basel, Switzerland (F.G.)
| | - Pawel Pelczar
- Center for Transgenic Models (P.P.), University of Basel, Switzerland
| | - Yan Liang
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego (Y.L., F.S.)
| | - Vera Lorenz
- Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Switzerland (L.X., V.L., G.M.K.)
| | - Chiara Stüdle
- Department of Biomedicine, Section Anatomy (C. Schinner, H.F., A.Z., M.-T.W., M.R., P.H., C. Stüdle, P.I.M., V.S.), University of Basel, Switzerland
| | - Piotr I. Maly
- Department of Biomedicine, Section Anatomy (C. Schinner, H.F., A.Z., M.-T.W., M.R., P.H., C. Stüdle, P.I.M., V.S.), University of Basel, Switzerland
| | - Silke Kauferstein
- Department of Legal Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (S.K., B.M.B.)
| | - Britt M. Beckmann
- Department of Legal Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany (S.K., B.M.B.)
- Department of Medicine I, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Germany (B.M.B.)
| | - Farah Sheikh
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Diego (Y.L., F.S.)
| | - Gabriela M. Kuster
- Department of Biomedicine, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Switzerland (L.X., V.L., G.M.K.)
- Division of Cardiology (G.M.K.), University Hospital Basel, Switzerland
| | - Volker Spindler
- Department of Biomedicine, Section Anatomy (C. Schinner, H.F., A.Z., M.-T.W., M.R., P.H., C. Stüdle, P.I.M., V.S.), University of Basel, Switzerland
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Yeruva S, Körber L, Hiermaier M, Egu DT, Kempf E, Waschke J. Cholinergic signaling impairs cardiomyocyte cohesion. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2022; 236:e13881. [PMID: 36039679 DOI: 10.1111/apha.13881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
AIM Cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysregulation is a hallmark of several cardiovascular diseases. Adrenergic signaling enhanced cardiomyocyte cohesion via PKA-mediated plakoglobin phosphorylation at serine 665, referred to as positive adhesiotropy. This study investigated cholinergic regulation of cardiomyocyte cohesion using muscarinic receptor agonist carbachol (CCH). METHODS Dissociation assays, Western blot analysis, immunostaining, atomic force microscopy (AFM), immunoprecipitation, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), triton assays, and siRNA knockdown of genes were performed in either HL-1 cells or plakoglobin (PG) wild type (Jup+/+ ) and knockout (Jup-/- ) mice, which served as a model for arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. RESULTS In HL-1 cells grown in norepinephrine (NE)-containing medium for baseline adrenergic stimulation, and murine cardiac slice cultures from Jup+/+ and Jup-/- mice CCH treatment impaired cardiomyocyte cohesion. Immunostainings and AFM experiments revealed that CCH reduced desmoglein 2 (DSG2) localization and binding at cell borders. Furthermore, CCH reduced intercalated disc plaque thickness in both Jup+/+ and Jup-/- mice, evidenced by TEM analysis. Immunoprecipitation experiments in HL-1 cells revealed no changes in DSG2 interaction with desmoplakin (DP), plakophilin 2 (PKP2), PG, and desmin (DES) after CCH treatment. However, knockdown of any of the above proteins abolished CCH-mediated loss of cardiomyocyte cohesion. Furthermore, in HL-1 cells, CCH inhibited adrenergic-stimulated ERK phosphorylation but not PG phosphorylation at serine 665. In addition, CCH activated the AKT/GSK-3β axis in the presence of NE. CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate that cholinergic signaling antagonizes the positive effect of adrenergic signaling on cardiomyocyte cohesion and thus causes negative adhesiotropy independent of PG phosphorylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil Yeruva
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Lars Körber
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Matthias Hiermaier
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Desalegn T Egu
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ellen Kempf
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Jens Waschke
- Chair of Vegetative Anatomy, Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilian-University (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
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9
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Zhang B, Zhou C, Liu J, Zhang J, Jiang C, Tang M, Xie J, Wu Y, Xie X, Li X, Yu J, Wang X, Cheng D, Zhou J, Chen Z, Fan F, Zhou X, Tao A, Yang B. Impaired heart rate variability in patients with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy: A multicenter retrospective study in China. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:1044797. [PMID: 36386351 PMCID: PMC9659603 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.1044797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cardiac sympathetic nerve system (SNS) might play an important role in arrhythmogenesis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM). This study aims to assess the activity of cardiac SNS in ACM patients by heart rate variability (HRV), and to investigate its predictive value for sustained ventricular tachycardia (sVT). METHODS A total of 88 ACM patients and 65 sex- and age- matched healthy participants were enrolled. The time domain measures were used to evaluate the activity of cardiac SNS. An independent cohort with 48 ACM patients was as the validation cohort. RESULTS ACM patients had lower levels of standard deviation of all NN intervals (SDNN) [118.0 (90.3, 136.8) vs. 152.0 (132.5, 174.5) ms, p < 0.001] compared with healthy participants. Further analysis showed ACM patients with sVT had lower levels of SDNN than those without sVT (105.0 ± 28.1 vs. 131.8 ± 33.1 ms, p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed SDNN was independently associated with sVT in ACM patients [odds ratio (OR) 0.59, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.45-0.78), p < 0.001]. Receiver operating characteristics curve demonstrated SDNN had clinical values in predicting sVT in ACM patients [area under the curve (AUC) = 0.73, 95% CI (0.63-0.84), p < 0.001], which was verified in the validation cohort. CONCLUSION The present study suggests that HRV is impaired in patients with ACM, and the SDNN level has a moderate value in risk stratification for sVT in ACM patients. In addition, the finding might provide new target for the further management of ACM with integrated traditional Chinese and western medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baowei Zhang
- Center of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Chunjiang Zhou
- Center of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinqiu Liu
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Jinlin Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, Wuhan Asia Heart Hospital, Wuhan, China
| | - Chenyang Jiang
- Department of Cardiology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Min Tang
- Department of Cardiology, State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Institute, Fuwai Hospital, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China
| | - Jiaxi Xie
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Yizhang Wu
- Center of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xin Xie
- Center of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaorong Li
- Center of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinbo Yu
- Center of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xuecheng Wang
- Center of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Dian Cheng
- Center of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jian Zhou
- Center of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zijun Chen
- Center of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Fenghua Fan
- Center of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiujuan Zhou
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
| | - Aibin Tao
- Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated People’s Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
| | - Bing Yang
- Center of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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10
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Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) Applications in Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073700. [PMID: 35409059 PMCID: PMC8998711 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is an inherited heart muscle disorder characterized by progressive replacement of cardiomyocytes by fibrofatty tissue, ventricular dilatation, cardiac dysfunction, arrhythmias, and sudden cardiac death. Interest in molecular biomechanics for these disorders is constantly growing. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a well-established technic to study the mechanobiology of biological samples under physiological and pathological conditions at the cellular scale. However, a review which described all the different data that can be obtained using the AFM (cell elasticity, adhesion behavior, viscoelasticity, beating force, and frequency) is still missing. In this review, we will discuss several techniques that highlight the potential of AFM to be used as a tool for assessing the biomechanics involved in ACM. Indeed, analysis of genetically mutated cells with AFM reveal abnormalities of the cytoskeleton, cell membrane structures, and defects of contractility. The higher the Young’s modulus, the stiffer the cell, and it is well known that abnormal tissue stiffness is symptomatic of a range of diseases. The cell beating force and frequency provide information during the depolarization and repolarization phases, complementary to cell electrophysiology (calcium imaging, MEA, patch clamp). In addition, original data is also presented to emphasize the unique potential of AFM as a tool to assess fibrosis in cardiac tissue.
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11
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Yeruva S, Waschke J. Structure and regulation of desmosomes in intercalated discs: Lessons from epithelia. J Anat 2022; 242:81-90. [PMID: 35128661 PMCID: PMC9773171 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13634] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2021] [Revised: 12/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
For electromechanical coupling of cardiomyocytes, intercalated discs (ICDs) are pivotal as highly specialized intercellular contact areas. ICD consists of adhesive contacts, such as desmosomes and adherens junctions (AJs) that are partially intermingled and thereby form an area composita to provide mechanical strength, as well as gap junctions (GJ) and sodium channels for excitation propagation. In contrast, in epithelia, mixed junctions with features of desmosomes and AJs are regarded as transitory primarily during the formation of desmosomes. The anatomy of desmosomes is defined by a typical ultrastructure with dense intracellular plaques anchoring the cadherin-type adhesion molecules to the intermediate filament cytoskeleton. Desmosomal diseases characterized by impaired adhesive and signalling functions of desmosomal contacts lead to arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy when affecting cardiomyocytes and cause pemphigus when manifesting in keratinocytes or present as cardiocutaneous syndromes when both cell types are targeted by the disease, which underscores the high biomedical relevance of these cell contacts. Therefore, comparative analyses regarding the structure and regulation of desmosomal contacts in cardiomyocytes and epithelial cells are helpful to better understand disease pathogenesis. In this brief review, we describe the structural properties of ICD compared to epithelial desmosomes and suggest that mechanisms regulating adhesion may at least in part be comparable. Also, we discuss whether phenomena such as hyperadhesion or the bidirectional regulation of desmosomes to serve as signalling hubs in epithelial cells may also be relevant for ICD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil Yeruva
- Ludwig‐Maximilian‐Universität München, Anatomische Anstalt, Lehrstuhl Anatomie I – Vegetative AnatomieMunichGermany
| | - Jens Waschke
- Ludwig‐Maximilian‐Universität München, Anatomische Anstalt, Lehrstuhl Anatomie I – Vegetative AnatomieMunichGermany
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12
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Fuchs M, Kugelmann D, Schlegel N, Vielmuth F, Waschke J. Desmoglein 2 can undergo Ca2+-dependent interactions with both desmosomal and classical cadherins including E-cadherin and N-cadherin. Biophys J 2022; 121:1322-1335. [PMID: 35183520 PMCID: PMC9034291 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Desmoglein (Dsg) 2 is a ubiquitously expressed desmosomal cadherin. Particularly, it is present in all cell types forming desmosomes, including epithelial cells and cardiac myocytes and is upregulated in the autoimmune skin disease pemphigus. Thus, we here characterized the binding properties of Dsg2 in more detail using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Dsg2 exhibits homophilic interactions and also heterophilic interactions with the desmosomal cadherin desmocollin (Dsc) 2, and further with the classical cadherins E-cadherin (E-Cad) and N-cadherin (N-Cad), which may be relevant for cross talk between desmosomes and adherens junctions in epithelia and cardiac myocytes. We found that all homo- and heterophilic interactions were Ca2+-dependent. All binding forces observed are in the same force range, i.e., 30 to 40 pN, except for the Dsg2/E-Cad unbinding force, which with 45 pN is significantly higher. To further characterize the nature of the interactions, we used tryptophan, a critical amino acid required for trans-interaction, and a tandem peptide (TP) designed to cross-link Dsg isoforms. TP was sufficient to prevent the tryptophan-induced loss of Dsg2 interaction with the desmosomal cadherins Dsg2 and Dsc2; however, not with the classical cadherins E-Cad and N-Cad, indicating that the interaction modes of Dsg2 with desmosomal and classical cadherins differ. TP rescued the tryptophan-induced loss of Dsg2 binding on living enterocytes, suggesting that interaction with desmosomal cadherins may be more relevant. In summary, the data suggest that the ubiquitous desmosomal cadherin Dsg2 enables the cross talk with adherens junctions by interacting with multiple binding partners with implications for proper adhesive function in healthy and diseased states.
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13
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Decrease of Pdzrn3 is required for heart maturation and protects against heart failure. Sci Rep 2022; 12:8. [PMID: 34996942 PMCID: PMC8742099 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03795-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Heart failure is the final common stage of most cardiopathies. Cardiomyocytes (CM) connect with others via their extremities by intercalated disk protein complexes. This planar and directional organization of myocytes is crucial for mechanical coupling and anisotropic conduction of the electric signal in the heart. One of the hallmarks of heart failure is alterations in the contact sites between CM. Yet no factor on its own is known to coordinate CM polarized organization. We have previously shown that PDZRN3, an ubiquitine ligase E3 expressed in various tissues including the heart, mediates a branch of the Planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling involved in tissue patterning, instructing cell polarity and cell polar organization within a tissue. PDZRN3 is expressed in the embryonic mouse heart then its expression dropped significantly postnatally corresponding with heart maturation and CM polarized elongation. A moderate CM overexpression of Pdzrn3 (Pdzrn3 OE) during the first week of life, induced a severe eccentric hypertrophic phenotype with heart failure. In models of pressure-overload stress heart failure, CM-specific Pdzrn3 knockout showed complete protection against degradation of heart function. We reported that Pdzrn3 signaling induced PKC ζ expression, c-Jun nuclear translocation and a reduced nuclear ß catenin level, consistent markers of the planar non-canonical Wnt signaling in CM. We then show that subcellular localization (intercalated disk) of junction proteins as Cx43, ZO1 and Desmoglein 2 was altered in Pdzrn3 OE mice, which provides a molecular explanation for impaired CM polarization in these mice. Our results reveal a novel signaling pathway that controls a genetic program essential for heart maturation and maintenance of overall geometry, as well as the contractile function of CM, and implicates PDZRN3 as a potential therapeutic target for the prevention of human heart failure.
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14
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Moazzen H, Venger K, Kant S, Leube RE, Krusche CA. Desmoglein 2 regulates cardiogenesis by restricting hematopoiesis in the developing murine heart. Sci Rep 2021; 11:21687. [PMID: 34737300 PMCID: PMC8569146 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00996-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiac morphogenesis relies on intricate intercellular signaling. Altered signaling impacts cardiac function and is detrimental to embryonic survival. Here we report an unexpected regulatory role of the desmosomal cell adhesion molecule desmoglein 2 (Dsg2) on murine heart development. A large percentage of Dsg2-mutant embryos develop pericardial hemorrhage. Lethal myocardial rupture is occasionally observed, which is not associated with loss of cardiomyocyte contact but with expansion of abnormal, non-myocyte cell clusters within the myocardial wall. Two types of abnormal cell clusters can be distinguished: Type A clusters involve endocard-associated, round-shaped CD31+ cells, which proliferate and invade the myocardium. They acquire Runx1- and CD44-positivity indicating a shift towards a hematopoietic phenotype. Type B clusters expand subepicardially and next to type A clusters. They consist primarily of Ter119+ erythroid cells with interspersed Runx1+/CD44+ cells suggesting that they originate from type A cell clusters. The observed pericardial hemorrhage is caused by migration of erythrocytes from type B clusters through the epicardium and rupture of the altered cardiac wall. Finally, evidence is presented that structural defects of Dsg2-depleted cardiomyocytes are primary to the observed pathogenesis. We propose that cardiomyocyte-driven paracrine signaling, which likely involves Notch1, directs subsequent trans-differentiation of endo- and epicardial cells. Together, our observations uncover a hitherto unknown regulatory role of Dsg2 in cardiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoda Moazzen
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, Wendlingweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Kateryna Venger
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, Wendlingweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Sebastian Kant
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, Wendlingweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany
| | - Rudolf E Leube
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, Wendlingweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Claudia A Krusche
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, Wendlingweg 2, 52074, Aachen, Germany.
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15
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Burkard N, Meir M, Kannapin F, Otto C, Petzke M, Germer CT, Waschke J, Schlegel N. Desmoglein2 Regulates Claudin2 Expression by Sequestering PI-3-Kinase in Intestinal Epithelial Cells. Front Immunol 2021; 12:756321. [PMID: 34659262 PMCID: PMC8514949 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.756321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Inflammation-induced reduction of intestinal desmosomal cadherin Desmoglein 2 (Dsg2) is linked to changes of tight junctions (TJ) leading to impaired intestinal epithelial barrier (IEB) function by undefined mechanisms. We characterized the interplay between loss of Dsg2 and upregulation of pore-forming TJ protein Claudin2. Intraperitoneal application of Dsg2-stablising Tandem peptide (TP) attenuated impaired IEB function, reduction of Dsg2 and increased Claudin2 in DSS-induced colitis in C57Bl/6 mice. TP blocked loss of Dsg2-mediated adhesion and upregulation of Claudin2 in Caco2 cells challenged with TNFα. In Dsg2-deficient Caco2 cells basal expression of Claudin2 was increased which was paralleled by reduced transepithelial electrical resistance and by augmented phosphorylation of AKTSer473 under basal conditions. Inhibition of phosphoinositid-3-kinase proved that PI-3-kinase/AKT-signaling is critical to upregulate Claudin2. In immunostaining PI-3-kinase dissociated from Dsg2 under inflammatory conditions. Immunoprecipitations and proximity ligation assays confirmed a direct interaction of Dsg2 and PI-3-kinase which was abrogated following TNFα application. In summary, Dsg2 regulates Claudin2 expression by sequestering PI-3-kinase to the cell borders in intestinal epithelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Burkard
- Department of General, Visceral, Transplant, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Michael Meir
- Department of General, Visceral, Transplant, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Felix Kannapin
- Department of General, Visceral, Transplant, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christoph Otto
- Department of General, Visceral, Transplant, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Maximilian Petzke
- Department of General, Visceral, Transplant, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Christoph-Thomas Germer
- Department of General, Visceral, Transplant, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jens Waschke
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Department I, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Nicolas Schlegel
- Department of General, Visceral, Transplant, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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16
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Simons E, Labro A, Saenen J, Nijak A, Sieliwonczyk E, Vandendriessche B, Dąbrowska M, Van Craenenbroeck EM, Schepers D, Van Laer L, Loeys BL, Alaerts M. Molecular autopsy and subsequent functional analysis reveal de novo DSG2 mutation as cause of sudden death. Eur J Med Genet 2021; 64:104322. [PMID: 34438094 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmg.2021.104322] [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: 02/15/2021] [Revised: 08/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a common cause of death in young adults. In up to 80% of cases a genetic cause is suspected. Next-generation sequencing of candidate genes can reveal the cause of SCD, provide prognostic management, and facilitate pre-symptomatic testing and prevention in relatives. Here we present a proband who experienced SCD in his sleep for which molecular autopsy was performed. We performed a post-mortem genetic analysis of a 49-year-old male who died during sleep after competitive kayaking, using a Cardiomyopathy and Primary Arrhythmia next-generation sequencing panel, each containing 51 candidate genes. Autopsy was not performed. Genetic testing of the proband resulted in missense variants in KCNQ1 (c.1449C > A; p.(Asn483Lys)) and DSG2 (c.2979G > T; p.(Gln993His)), both absent from the gnomAD database. Familial segregation analysis showed de novo occurrence of the DSG2 variant and presence of the KCNQ1 variant in the proband's mother and daughter. KCNQ1 p.(Asn483Lys) was predicted to be pathogenic by MutationTaster. However, none of the KCNQ1 variant carrying family members showed long QTc on ECG or Holter. We further functionally analysed this variant using patch-clamp in a heterologous expression system (Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells) expressing the KCNQ1 mutant in combination with KCNE1 wild type protein and showed no significant changes in electrophysiological function of Kv7.1. Based on the above evidence, we concluded that the DSG2 p.(Gln993His) variant is the most likely cause of SCD in the presented case, and that there is insufficient evidence that the identified KCNQ1 p.(Asn483Lys) variant would confer risk for SCD in his mother and daughter. Fortunately, the DSG2 variant was not inherited by the proband's two children. This case report indicates the added value of molecular autopsy and the importance of subsequent functional study of variants to inform patients and family members about the risk of variants they might carry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline Simons
- Cardiogenetics Research Group, Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Alain Labro
- Laboratory for Molecular, Cellular and Network Excitability, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Department of Basic and Applied Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Johan Saenen
- Department of Cardiology, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Aleksandra Nijak
- Cardiogenetics Research Group, Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Ewa Sieliwonczyk
- Cardiogenetics Research Group, Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Bert Vandendriessche
- Cardiogenetics Research Group, Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Małgorzata Dąbrowska
- Laboratory for Molecular, Cellular and Network Excitability, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | | | - Dorien Schepers
- Cardiogenetics Research Group, Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Lut Van Laer
- Cardiogenetics Research Group, Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Bart L Loeys
- Cardiogenetics Research Group, Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Maaike Alaerts
- Cardiogenetics Research Group, Center of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp and Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium.
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17
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Raya-Sandino A, Luissint AC, Kusters DHM, Narayanan V, Flemming S, Garcia-Hernandez V, Godsel LM, Green KJ, Hagen SJ, Conway DE, Parkos CA, Nusrat A. Regulation of intestinal epithelial intercellular adhesion and barrier function by desmosomal cadherin desmocollin-2. Mol Biol Cell 2021; 32:753-768. [PMID: 33596089 PMCID: PMC8108520 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e20-12-0775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The role of desmosomal cadherin desmocollin-2 (Dsc2) in regulating barrier function in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) is not well understood. Here, we report the consequences of silencing Dsc2 on IEC barrier function in vivo using mice with inducible intestinal–epithelial-specific Dsc2 knockdown (KD) (Dsc2ERΔIEC). While the small intestinal gross architecture was maintained, loss of epithelial Dsc2 influenced desmosomal plaque structure, which was smaller in size and had increased intermembrane space between adjacent epithelial cells. Functional analysis revealed that loss of Dsc2 increased intestinal permeability in vivo, supporting a role for Dsc2 in the regulation of intestinal epithelial barrier function. These results were corroborated in model human IECs in which Dsc2 KD resulted in decreased cell–cell adhesion and impaired barrier function. It is noteworthy that Dsc2 KD cells exhibited delayed recruitment of desmoglein-2 (Dsg2) to the plasma membrane after calcium switch-induced intercellular junction reassembly, while E-cadherin accumulation was unaffected. Mechanistically, loss of Dsc2 increased desmoplakin (DP I/II) protein expression and promoted intermediate filament interaction with DP I/II and was associated with enhanced tension on desmosomes as measured by a Dsg2-tension sensor. In conclusion, we provide new insights on Dsc2 regulation of mechanical tension, adhesion, and barrier function in IECs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arturo Raya-Sandino
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Anny-Claude Luissint
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Dennis H M Kusters
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Vani Narayanan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284
| | - Sven Flemming
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | | | - Lisa M Godsel
- Departments of Pathology and Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611
| | - Kathleen J Green
- Departments of Pathology and Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611.,Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611
| | - Susan J Hagen
- Department of Surgery, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Daniel E Conway
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284
| | - Charles A Parkos
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
| | - Asma Nusrat
- Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
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Schlegel N, Boerner K, Waschke J. Targeting desmosomal adhesion and signalling for intestinal barrier stabilization in inflammatory bowel diseases-Lessons from experimental models and patients. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2021; 231:e13492. [PMID: 32419327 DOI: 10.1111/apha.13492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Revised: 04/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) such as Crohn's disease (CD) and Ulcerative colitis (UC) have a complex and multifactorial pathogenesis which is incompletely understood. A typical feature closely associated with clinical symptoms is impaired intestinal epithelial barrier function. Mounting evidence suggests that desmosomes, which together with tight junctions (TJ) and adherens junctions (AJ) form the intestinal epithelial barrier, play a distinct role in IBD pathogenesis. This is based on the finding that desmoglein (Dsg) 2, a cadherin-type adhesion molecule of desmosomes, is required for maintenance of intestinal barrier properties both in vitro and in vivo, presumably via Dsg2-mediated regulation of TJ. Mice deficient for intestinal Dsg2 show increased basal permeability and are highly susceptible to experimental colitis. In several cohorts of IBD patients, intestinal protein levels of Dsg2 are reduced and desmosome ultrastructure is altered suggesting that Dsg2 is involved in IBD pathogenesis. In addition to its adhesive function, Dsg2 contributes to enterocyte cohesion and intestinal barrier function. Dsg2 is also involved in enterocyte proliferation, barrier differentiation and induction of apoptosis, in part by regulation of p38MAPK and EGFR signalling. In IBD, the function of Dsg2 appears to be compromised via p38MAPK activation, which is a critical pathway for regulation of desmosomes and is associated with keratin phosphorylation in IBD patients. In this review, the current findings on the role of Dsg2 as a novel promising target to prevent loss of intestinal barrier function in IBD patients are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Schlegel
- Department of General, Visceral, Transplant, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery Julius‐Maximilians‐Universität Würzburg Germany
| | - Kevin Boerner
- Department of General, Visceral, Transplant, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery Julius‐Maximilians‐Universität Würzburg Germany
| | - Jens Waschke
- Department I, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine Ludwig Maximilians University Munich Munich Germany
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19
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Beffagna G, Sommariva E, Bellin M. Mechanotransduction and Adrenergic Stimulation in Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy: An Overview of in vitro and in vivo Models. Front Physiol 2020; 11:568535. [PMID: 33281612 PMCID: PMC7689294 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.568535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 10/19/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy (AC) is a rare inherited heart disease, manifesting with progressive myocardium degeneration and dysfunction, and life-threatening arrhythmic events that lead to sudden cardiac death. Despite genetic determinants, most of AC patients admitted to hospital are athletes or very physically active people, implying the existence of other disease-causing factors. It is recognized that AC phenotypes are enhanced and triggered by strenuous physical activity, while excessive mechanical stretch and load, and repetitive adrenergic stimulation are mechanisms influencing disease penetrance. Different approaches have been undertaken to recapitulate and study both mechanotransduction and adrenergic signaling in AC, including the use of in vitro cellular and tissue models, and the development of in vivo models (particularly rodents but more recently also zebrafish). However, it remains challenging to reproduce mechanical load stimuli and physical activity in laboratory experimental settings. Thus, more work to drive the innovation of advanced AC models is needed to recapitulate these subtle physiological influences. Here, we review the state-of-the-art in this field both in clinical and laboratory-based modeling scenarios. Specific attention will be focused on highlighting gaps in the knowledge and how they may be resolved by utilizing novel research methodology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giorgia Beffagna
- Department of Cardio-Thoraco-Vascular Sciences and Public Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.,Department of Biology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Elena Sommariva
- Vascular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Unit, Centro Cardiologico Monzino IRCCS, Milan, Italy
| | - Milena Bellin
- Department of Biology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.,Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padua, Italy.,Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands
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20
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Cunliffe TG, Bates EA, Parker AL. Hitting the Target but Missing the Point: Recent Progress towards Adenovirus-Based Precision Virotherapies. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:E3327. [PMID: 33187160 PMCID: PMC7696810 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12113327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Revised: 10/31/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
More people are surviving longer with cancer. Whilst this can be partially attributed to advances in early detection of cancers, there is little doubt that the improvement in survival statistics is also due to the expansion in the spectrum of treatments available for efficacious treatment. Transformative amongst those are immunotherapies, which have proven effective agents for treating immunogenic forms of cancer, although immunologically "cold" tumour types remain refractive. Oncolytic viruses, such as those based on adenovirus, have great potential as anti-cancer agents and have seen a resurgence of interest in recent years. Amongst their many advantages is their ability to induce immunogenic cell death (ICD) of infected tumour cells, thus providing the alluring potential to synergise with immunotherapies by turning immunologically "cold" tumours "hot". Additionally, enhanced immune mediated cell killing can be promoted through the local overexpression of immunological transgenes, encoded from within the engineered viral genome. To achieve this full potential requires the development of refined, tumour selective "precision virotherapies" that are extensively engineered to prevent off-target up take via native routes of infection and targeted to infect and replicate uniquely within malignantly transformed cells. Here, we review the latest advances towards this holy grail within the adenoviral field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Alan L. Parker
- Division of Cancer and Genetics, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK; (T.G.C.); (E.A.B.)
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21
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Sigmund AM, Steinert LS, Egu DT, Bayerbach FC, Waschke J, Vielmuth F. Dsg2 Upregulation as a Rescue Mechanism in Pemphigus. Front Immunol 2020; 11:581370. [PMID: 33193387 PMCID: PMC7655986 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.581370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In pemphigus vulgaris (PV), autoantibodies directed against the desmosomal cadherin desmoglein (Dsg) 3 cause loss of intercellular adhesion. It is known that Dsg3 interactions are directly inhibited by autoantibody binding and that Dsg2 is upregulated in epidermis of PV patients. Here, we investigated whether heterophilic Dsg2-Dsg3 interactions occur and would modulate PV pathogenesis. Dsg2 was upregulated in PV patients’ biopsies and in a human ex vivo pemphigus skin model. Immunoprecipitation and cell-free atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments demonstrated heterophilic Dsg2-Dsg3 interactions. Similarly, in Dsg3-deficient keratinocytes with severely disturbed intercellular adhesion Dsg2 was upregulated in the desmosome containing fraction. AFM revealed that Dsg2-Dsg3 heterophilic interactions showed binding frequency, strength, Ca2+-dependency and catch-bond behavior comparable to homophilic Dsg3-Dsg3 or homophilic Dsg2-Dsg2 interactions. However, heterophilic Dsg2-Dsg3 interactions had a longer lifetime compared to homophilic Dsg2-Dsg2 interactions and PV autoantibody-induced direct inhibition was significantly less pronounced for heterophilic Dsg2-Dsg3 interactions compared to homophilic Dsg3 interactions. In contrast, a monoclonal anti-Dsg2 inhibitory antibody reduced heterophilic Dsg2-Dsg3 and homophilic Dsg2-Dsg2 binding to the same degree and further impaired intercellular adhesion in Dsg3-deficient keratinocytes. Taken together, the data demonstrate that Dsg2 undergoes heterophilic interactions with Dsg3, which may attenuate autoantibody-induced loss of keratinocyte adhesion in pemphigus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Sigmund
- Department I, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Letyfee S Steinert
- Department I, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Desalegn T Egu
- Department I, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Franziska C Bayerbach
- Department I, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Jens Waschke
- Department I, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
| | - Franziska Vielmuth
- Department I, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, Germany
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Human Desmoglein-2 and Human CD46 Mediate Human Adenovirus Type 55 Infection, but Human Desmoglein-2 Plays the Major Roles. J Virol 2020; 94:JVI.00747-20. [PMID: 32581096 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00747-20] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Human adenovirus type 55 (HAdV55) represents an emerging respiratory pathogen and causes severe pneumonia with high fatality in humans. The cellular receptors, which are essential for understanding the infection and pathogenesis of HAdV55, remain unclear. In this study, we found that HAdV55 binding and infection were sharply reduced by disrupting the interaction of viral fiber protein with human desmoglein-2 (hDSG2) but only slightly reduced by disrupting the interaction of viral fiber protein with human CD46 (hCD46). Loss-of-function studies using soluble receptors, blocking antibodies, RNA interference, and gene knockout demonstrated that hDSG2 predominantly mediated HAdV55 infection. Nonpermissive rodent cells became susceptible to HAdV55 infection when hDSG2 or hCD46 was expressed, but hDSG2 mediated more efficient HAd55 infection than hCD46. We generated two transgenic mouse lines that constitutively express either hDSG2 or hCD46. Although nontransgenic mice were resistant to HAdV55 infection, infection with HAdV55 was significantly increased in hDSG2+/+ mice but was much less increased in hCD46+/+ mice. Our findings demonstrate that both hDSG2 and hCD46 are able to mediate HAdV55 infection but hDSG2 plays the major roles. The hDSG2 transgenic mouse can be used as a rodent model for evaluation of HAdV55 vaccine and therapeutics.IMPORTANCE Human adenovirus type 55 (HAdV55) has recently emerged as a highly virulent respiratory pathogen and has been linked to severe and even fatal pneumonia in immunocompetent adults. However, the cellular receptors mediating the entry of HAdV55 into host cells remain unclear, which hinders the establishment of HAdV55-infected animal models and the development of antiviral approaches. In this study, we demonstrated that human desmoglein-2 (hDSG2) plays the major roles during HAdV55 infection. Human CD46 (hCD46) could also mediate the infection of HAdV55, but the efficiency was much lower than for hDSG2. We generated two transgenic mouse lines that express either hDSG2 or hCD46, both of which enabled HAd55 infection in otherwise nontransgenic mice. hDSG2 transgenic mice enabled more efficient HAdV55 infection than hCD46 transgenic mice. Our study adds to our understanding of HAdV55 infection and provides an animal model for evaluating HAdV55 vaccines and therapeutics.
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The intercalated disc: a mechanosensing signalling node in cardiomyopathy. Biophys Rev 2020; 12:931-946. [PMID: 32661904 PMCID: PMC7429531 DOI: 10.1007/s12551-020-00737-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiomyocytes, the cells generating contractile force in the heart, are connected to each other through a highly specialised structure, the intercalated disc (ID), which ensures force transmission and transduction between neighbouring cells and allows the myocardium to function in synchrony. In addition, cardiomyocytes possess an intrinsic ability to sense mechanical changes and to regulate their own contractile output accordingly. To achieve this, some of the components responsible for force transmission have evolved to sense changes in tension and to trigger a biochemical response that results in molecular and cellular changes in cardiomyocytes. This becomes of particular importance in cardiomyopathies, where the heart is exposed to increased mechanical load and needs to adapt to sustain its contractile function. In this review, we will discuss key mechanosensing elements present at the intercalated disc and provide an overview of the signalling molecules involved in mediating the responses to changes in mechanical force.
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24
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Schinner C, Olivares-Florez S, Schlipp A, Trenz S, Feinendegen M, Flaswinkel H, Kempf E, Egu DT, Yeruva S, Waschke J. The inotropic agent digitoxin strengthens desmosomal adhesion in cardiac myocytes in an ERK1/2-dependent manner. Basic Res Cardiol 2020; 115:46. [PMID: 32556797 PMCID: PMC7299919 DOI: 10.1007/s00395-020-0805-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Desmosomal proteins are components of the intercalated disc and mediate cardiac myocyte adhesion. Enhancement of cardiac myocyte cohesion, referred to as "positive adhesiotropy", was demonstrated to be a function of sympathetic signaling and to be relevant for a sufficient inotropic response. We used the inotropic agent digitoxin to investigate the link between inotropy and adhesiotropy. In contrast to wild-type hearts, digitoxin failed to enhance pulse pressure in perfused mice hearts lacking the desmosomal protein plakoglobin which was paralleled with abrogation of plaque thickening indicating that positive inotropic response requires intact desmosomal adhesion. Atomic force microscopy revealed that digitoxin increased the binding force of the adhesion molecule desmoglein-2 at cell-cell contact areas. This was paralleled by enhanced cardiac myocyte cohesion in both HL-1 cardiac myocytes and murine cardiac slices as determined by dissociation assays as well as by accumulation of desmosomal proteins at cell-cell contact areas. However, total protein levels or cytoskeletal anchorage were not affected. siRNA-mediated depletion of desmosomal proteins abrogated increase of cell cohesion demonstrating that intact desmosomal adhesion is required for positive adhesiotropy. Mechanistically, digitoxin caused activation of ERK1/2. In line with this, inhibition of ERK1/2 signaling abrogated the effects of digitoxin on cell-cell adhesion and desmosomal reorganization. These results show that the positive inotropic agent digitoxin enhances cardiac myocyte cohesion with reorganization of desmosomal proteins in an ERK1/2-dependent manner. Desmosomal adhesion seems to be important for a sufficient positive inotropic response of digitoxin treatment, which can be of medical relevance for the treatment of heart failure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Schinner
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstraße 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Silvana Olivares-Florez
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstraße 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Angela Schlipp
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstraße 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Sebastian Trenz
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstraße 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Manouk Feinendegen
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstraße 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Heinrich Flaswinkel
- Department of Biology II, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ellen Kempf
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstraße 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Desalegn Tadesse Egu
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstraße 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Sunil Yeruva
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstraße 11, 80336, Munich, Germany
| | - Jens Waschke
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Pettenkoferstraße 11, 80336, Munich, Germany.
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25
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Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy: Molecular Insights for Improved Therapeutic Design. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2020; 7:jcdd7020021. [PMID: 32466575 PMCID: PMC7345706 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd7020021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 05/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (ACM) is an inherited disorder characterized by structural and electrical cardiac abnormalities, including myocardial fibro-fatty replacement. Its pathological ventricular substrate predisposes subjects to an increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). ACM is a notorious cause of SCD in young athletes, and exercise has been documented to accelerate its progression. Although the genetic culprits are not exclusively limited to the intercalated disc, the majority of ACM-linked variants reside within desmosomal genes and are transmitted via Mendelian inheritance patterns; however, penetrance is highly variable. Its natural history features an initial “concealed phase” that results in patients being vulnerable to malignant arrhythmias prior to the onset of structural changes. Lack of effective therapies that target its pathophysiology renders management of patients challenging due to its progressive nature, and has highlighted a critical need to improve our understanding of its underlying mechanistic basis. In vitro and in vivo studies have begun to unravel the molecular consequences associated with disease causing variants, including altered Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Characterization of ACM mouse models has facilitated the evaluation of new therapeutic approaches. Improved molecular insight into the condition promises to usher in novel forms of therapy that will lead to improved care at the clinical bedside.
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26
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Schinner C, Erber BM, Yeruva S, Schlipp A, Rötzer V, Kempf E, Kant S, Leube RE, Mueller TD, Waschke J. Stabilization of desmoglein-2 binding rescues arrhythmia in arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. JCI Insight 2020; 5:130141. [PMID: 32376797 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.130141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 04/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (AC) is a genetic disease causing arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death with only symptomatic therapy available at present. Mutations of desmosomal proteins, including desmoglein-2 (Dsg2) and plakoglobin (Pg), are the major cause of AC and have been shown to lead to impaired gap junction function. Recent data indicated the involvement of anti-Dsg2 autoantibodies in AC pathogenesis. We applied a peptide to stabilize Dsg2 binding similar to a translational approach to pemphigus, which is caused by anti-desmoglein autoantibodies. We provide evidence that stabilization of Dsg2 binding by a linking peptide (Dsg2-LP) is efficient to rescue arrhythmia in an AC mouse model immediately upon perfusion. Dsg2-LP, designed to cross-link Dsg2 molecules in proximity to the known binding pocket, stabilized Dsg2-mediated interactions on the surface of living cardiomyocytes as revealed by atomic force microscopy and induced Dsg2 oligomerization. Moreover, Dsg2-LP rescued disrupted cohesion induced by siRNA-mediated Pg or Dsg2 depletion or l-tryptophan, which was applied to impair overall cadherin binding. Dsg2-LP rescued connexin-43 mislocalization and conduction irregularities in response to impaired cardiomyocyte cohesion. These results demonstrate that stabilization of Dsg2 binding by Dsg2-LP can serve as a novel approach to treat arrhythmia in patients with AC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Schinner
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany.,Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Bernd Markus Erber
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sunil Yeruva
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Angela Schlipp
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Vera Rötzer
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Ellen Kempf
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Sebastian Kant
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Rudolf E Leube
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Thomas D Mueller
- Department of Molecular Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Julius-von-Sachs Institute for Biosciences, Julius-Maximilians-Universität, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Jens Waschke
- Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich, Munich, Germany
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Abstract
Intercalated discs (ICDs) are highly orchestrated structures that connect neighboring cardiomyocytes in the heart. Three major complexes are distinguished in ICD: desmosome, adherens junction (AJ), and gap junction (GJ). Desmosomes are major cell adhesion junctions that anchor cell membrane to the intermediate filament network; AJs connect the actin cytoskeleton of adjacent cells; and gap junctions metabolically and electrically connect the cytoplasm of adjacent cardiomyocytes. All these complexes work as a single unit, the so-called area composita, interdependently rather than individually. Mutation or altered expression of ICD proteins results in various cardiac diseases, such as ARVC (arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy), dilated cardiomyopathy, and hypotrophy cardiomyopathy, eventually leading to heart failure. In this article, we first review the recent findings on the structural organization of ICD and their functions and then focus on the recent advances in molecular pathogenesis of the ICD-related heart diseases, which include two major areas: i) the ICD gene mutations in cardiac diseases, and ii) the involvement of ICD proteins in signal transduction pathways leading to myocardium remodeling and eventual heart failure. These major ICD-related signaling pathways include Wnt/β-catenin pathway, p38 MAPK cascade, Rho-dependent serum response factor (SRF) signaling, calcineurin/NFAT signaling, Hippo kinase cascade, etc., which are differentially regulated in pathological conditions.
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28
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Abstract
Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy is a genetic disorder characterized by the risk of life-threatening arrhythmias, myocardial dysfunction and fibrofatty replacement of myocardial tissue. Mutations in genes that encode components of desmosomes, the adhesive junctions that connect cardiomyocytes, are the predominant cause of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy and can be identified in about half of patients with the condition. However, the molecular mechanisms leading to myocardial destruction, remodelling and arrhythmic predisposition remain poorly understood. Through the development of animal, induced pluripotent stem cell and other models of disease, advances in our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy over the past decade have brought several signalling pathways into focus. These pathways include canonical and non-canonical WNT signalling, the Hippo-Yes-associated protein (YAP) pathway and transforming growth factor-β signalling. These studies have begun to identify potential therapeutic targets whose modulation has shown promise in preclinical models. In this Review, we summarize and discuss the reported molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.
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Cohen-Barak E, Godsel LM, Koetsier JL, Hegazy M, Kushnir-Grinbaum D, Hammad H, Danial-Farran N, Harmon R, Khayat M, Bochner R, Peled A, Rozenblat M, Krausz J, Sarig O, Johnson JL, Ziv M, Shalev SA, Sprecher E, Green KJ. The Role of Desmoglein 1 in Gap Junction Turnover Revealed through the Study of SAM Syndrome. J Invest Dermatol 2019; 140:556-567.e9. [PMID: 31465738 DOI: 10.1016/j.jid.2019.08.433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
An effective epidermal barrier requires structural and functional integration of adherens junctions, tight junctions, gap junctions (GJ), and desmosomes. Desmosomes govern epidermal integrity while GJs facilitate small molecule transfer across cell membranes. Some patients with severe dermatitis, multiple allergies, and metabolic wasting (SAM) syndrome, caused by biallelic desmoglein 1 (DSG1) mutations, exhibit skin lesions reminiscent of erythrokeratodermia variabilis, caused by mutations in connexin (Cx) genes. We, therefore, examined whether SAM syndrome-causing DSG1 mutations interfere with Cx expression and GJ function. Lesional skin biopsies from SAM syndrome patients (n = 7) revealed decreased Dsg1 and Cx43 plasma membrane localization compared with control and nonlesional skin. Cultured keratinocytes and organotypic skin equivalents depleted of Dsg1 exhibited reduced Cx43 expression, rescued upon re-introduction of wild-type Dsg1, but not Dsg1 constructs modeling SAM syndrome-causing mutations. Ectopic Dsg1 expression increased cell-cell dye transfer, which Cx43 silencing inhibited, suggesting that Dsg1 promotes GJ function through Cx43. As GJA1 gene expression was not decreased upon Dsg1 loss, we hypothesized that Cx43 reduction was due to enhanced protein degradation. Supporting this, PKC-dependent Cx43 S368 phosphorylation, which signals Cx43 turnover, increased after Dsg1 depletion, while lysosomal inhibition restored Cx43 levels. These data reveal a role for Dsg1 in regulating epidermal Cx43 turnover.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eran Cohen-Barak
- Departments of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Department of Pathology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Department of Dermatology, "Emek" Medical Center, Afula, Israel; Bruce and Ruth Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel
| | - Lisa M Godsel
- Departments of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Department of Pathology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Jennifer L Koetsier
- Department of Pathology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Marihan Hegazy
- Department of Pathology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | | | - Helwe Hammad
- Department of Dermatology, "Emek" Medical Center, Afula, Israel
| | | | - Robert Harmon
- Department of Pathology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Morad Khayat
- The Genetic Institute, "Emek" Medical Center, Afula, Israel
| | - Ron Bochner
- Department of Dermatology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Alon Peled
- Department of Dermatology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Human Molecular Genetics & Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Mati Rozenblat
- Department of Dermatology, "Emek" Medical Center, Afula, Israel
| | - Judit Krausz
- Department of Pathology, "Emek" Medical Center, Afula, Israel
| | - Ofer Sarig
- Department of Dermatology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Jodi L Johnson
- Departments of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Department of Pathology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Michael Ziv
- Department of Dermatology, "Emek" Medical Center, Afula, Israel
| | - Stavit A Shalev
- Bruce and Ruth Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel; The Genetic Institute, "Emek" Medical Center, Afula, Israel
| | - Eli Sprecher
- Department of Dermatology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel; Department of Human Molecular Genetics & Biochemistry, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Kathleen J Green
- Departments of Dermatology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Department of Pathology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.
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30
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Meir M, Burkard N, Ungewiß H, Diefenbacher M, Flemming S, Kannapin F, Germer CT, Schweinlin M, Metzger M, Waschke J, Schlegel N. Neurotrophic factor GDNF regulates intestinal barrier function in inflammatory bowel disease. J Clin Invest 2019; 129:2824-2840. [PMID: 31205031 DOI: 10.1172/jci120261] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Impaired intestinal epithelial barrier (IEB) function with loss of desmosomal junctional protein desmoglein 2 (DSG2) is a hallmark in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While previous studies have reported that glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) promotes IEB function, the mechanisms are poorly understood. We hypothesized that GDNF is involved in the loss of DSG2, resulting in impaired IEB function as seen in IBD. In the inflamed intestine of patients with IBD, there was a decrease in GDNF concentrations accompanied by a loss of DSG2, changes of the intermediate filament system, and increased phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and cytokeratins. DSG2-deficient and RET-deficient Caco2 cells revealed that GDNF specifically recruits DSG2 to the cell borders, resulting in increased DSG2-mediated intercellular adhesion via the RET receptor. Challenge of Caco2 cells and enteroids with proinflammatory cytokines as well as dextran sulfate sodium-induced (DSS-induced) colitis in C57Bl/6 mice led to impaired IEB function with reduced DSG2 mediated by p38 MAPK-dependent phosphorylation of cytokeratins. GDNF blocked all inflammation-induced changes in the IEB. GDNF attenuates inflammation-induced impairment of IEB function caused by the loss of DSG2 through p38 MAPK-dependent phosphorylation of cytokeratin. The reduced GDNF in patients with IBD indicates a disease-relevant contribution to the development of IEB dysfunction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Meir
- Department of General, Visceral, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Natalie Burkard
- Department of General, Visceral, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Hanna Ungewiß
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Markus Diefenbacher
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biochemistry, University of Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Sven Flemming
- Department of General, Visceral, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Felix Kannapin
- Department of General, Visceral, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Christoph-Thomas Germer
- Department of General, Visceral, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Schweinlin
- Department for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Marco Metzger
- Department for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany.,Fraunhofer ISC, Translational Centre Regenerative Medicine TLC-RT, Wuerzburg, Germany
| | - Jens Waschke
- Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Nicolas Schlegel
- Department of General, Visceral, Vascular and Pediatric Surgery, University Hospital Wuerzburg, Wuerzburg, Germany
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Zou Y, Zhang Q, Zhang J, Chen X, Zhou W, Yang Z, Yang Q, Yu H, Li L, He Y, Li C, Zhang S, Zhu S, Luo B, Gao Y. A common indel polymorphism of the Desmoglein-2 (DSG2) is associated with sudden cardiac death in Chinese populations. Forensic Sci Int 2019; 301:382-387. [PMID: 31220685 DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.06.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is referred to as sudden and unexpected death caused by cardiovascular diseases, in which a person preexisted heart disease or not. Compelling evidence indicates that SCD etiology have been predominantly affected by host genetic factors. However, how genetic variants play roles in the inherited risk component of SCD are still largely unknown. It has been reported that Desmoglein-2 (DSG2) mutations might be related to sudden death. In the present study, we used a candidate gene approach to investigate the associations between rs397729601 (a 2-base pair indel polymorphism) mapping to the 3'UTR of DSG2 with the risk of SCD. It is shown by logistic regression analysis that the risk of SCD has been significantly increased by the deletion allele of rs397729601 [odds ratio (OR)=1.51; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.12-2.05; P=0.00559]. Additional genotype-phenotype analysis was performed to evaluate the mRNA level, revealing that human myocardium tissues with the deletion allele showed higher expression of DSG2. Dual luciferase activity analysis was conducted in an in vitro reporter gene system, suggesting that DSG2 expression could be regulated by rs397729601 which interrupted the binding of miR-933-3p with DSG2. We concluded that rs397729601 may affect the expression of DSG2 through miR-933-3p regulation, contributing to SCD susceptibility. Thus, rs397729601 may be used as a potential marker for molecular diagnosis and genetic counseling of SCD. Our findings need to be validated through replication and further functional studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zou
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Qing Zhang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Jianhua Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Institute of Forensic Sciences, Ministry of Justice, Shanghai, China
| | - Xuekun Chen
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Wei Zhou
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Zhenzhen Yang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Qi Yang
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Huan Yu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Lijuan Li
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Yan He
- Department of Epidemiology, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Chengtao Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Institute of Forensic Sciences, Ministry of Justice, Shanghai, China
| | - Suhua Zhang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Forensic Medicine, Institute of Forensic Sciences, Ministry of Justice, Shanghai, China
| | - Shaohua Zhu
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China
| | - Bin Luo
- Faculty of Forensic Medicine, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
| | - Yuzhen Gao
- Department of Forensic Medicine, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, Jiangsu 215123, China.
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32
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Schinner C, Erber BM, Yeruva S, Waschke J. Regulation of cardiac myocyte cohesion and gap junctions via desmosomal adhesion. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2019; 226:e13242. [PMID: 30582290 DOI: 10.1111/apha.13242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2018] [Revised: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 12/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
AIMS Mutations in desmosomal proteins can induce arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy with life-threatening arrhythmia. Previous data demonstrated adrenergic signalling to be important to regulate desmosomal cohesion in cardiac myocytes. Here, we investigated how signalling pathways including adrenergic signalling, PKC and SERCA regulate desmosomal adhesion and how this controls gap junctions (GJs) in cardiac myocytes. METHODS Immunostaining, Western blot, dissociation assay and multi-electrode array were applied in HL-1 cardiac myocytes to evaluate localization, expression and function of desmosomal and GJ components. cAMP levels were determined by ELISA. RESULTS Activation of PKC by PMA or adrenergic signalling increased cell cohesion and desmoglein-2 and desmoplakin localization at cell-cell junctions, whereas tryptophan (Trp) treatment to inhibit cadherin binding or inhibition of SERCA by thapsigargin reduced cell cohesion, while cAMP elevation rescued this effect. Despite no changes in protein expression, accumulation of GJ protein connexin-43 was detectable at cell-cell contacts in parallel to increased cohesion. Disruption of cell cohesion by Trp, PMA or thapsigargin impaired conduction of excitation comparable to GJ inhibition. cAMP elevation was effective to improve arrhythmia after Trp treatment. Weakened cell cohesion by Trp or depletion of desmoglein-2 or plakoglobin blocked signalling via the β1-adrenergic receptor. Moreover, silencing of desmosomal proteins increased arrhythmia and reduced conduction velocity, which were rescued by cAMP elevation. CONCLUSION These data demonstrate the interplay of GJs, desmosomes and the β1-adrenergic receptor with regulation of their function by cell cohesion, adrenergic and PKC signalling or SERCA inhibition. These results support the identification of new targets to treat arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Schinner
- Faculty of Medicine; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich; Munich Germany
- Department of Biomedicine; University of Basel; Basel Switzerland
| | - Bernd M. Erber
- Faculty of Medicine; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich; Munich Germany
| | - Sunil Yeruva
- Faculty of Medicine; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich; Munich Germany
| | - Jens Waschke
- Faculty of Medicine; Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) Munich; Munich Germany
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33
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Choi H, Koh HWL, Zhou L, Cheng H, Loh TP, Parvaresh Rizi E, Toh SA, Ronnett GV, Huang BE, Khoo CM. Plasma Protein and MicroRNA Biomarkers of Insulin Resistance: A Network-Based Integrative -Omics Analysis. Front Physiol 2019; 10:379. [PMID: 31024340 PMCID: PMC6460474 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00379] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2018] [Accepted: 03/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Although insulin resistance (IR) is a key pathophysiologic condition underlying various metabolic disorders, impaired cellular glucose uptake is one of many manifestations of metabolic derangements in the human body. To study the systems-wide molecular changes associated with obesity-dependent IR, we integrated information on plasma proteins and microRNAs in eight obese insulin-resistant (OIR, HOMA-IR > 2.5) and nine lean insulin-sensitive (LIS, HOMA-IR < 1.0) normoglycemic males. Of 374 circulating miRNAs we profiled, 65 species increased and 73 species decreased in the OIR compared to the LIS subjects, suggesting that the overall balance of the miRNA secretome is shifted in the OIR subjects. We also observed that 40 plasma proteins increased and 4 plasma proteins decreased in the OIR subjects compared to the LIS subjects, and most proteins are involved in metabolic and endocytic functions. We used an integrative -omics analysis framework called iOmicsPASS to link differentially regulated miRNAs with their target genes on the TargetScan map and the human protein interactome. Combined with tissue of origin information, the integrative analysis allowed us to nominate obesity-dependent and obesity-independent protein markers, along with potential sites of post-transcriptional regulation by some of the miRNAs. We also observed the changes in each -omics platform that are not linked by the TargetScan map, suggesting that proteins and microRNAs provide orthogonal information for the progression of OIR. In summary, our integrative analysis provides a network of elevated plasma markers of OIR and a global shift of microRNA secretome composition in the blood plasma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyungwon Choi
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hiromi W L Koh
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - He Cheng
- MiRXES, Pte. Ltd., Singapore, Singapore
| | - Tze Ping Loh
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ehsan Parvaresh Rizi
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Sue Anne Toh
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Gabriele V Ronnett
- Janssen Research & Development US, World Without Disease Accelerator, Spring House, NJ, United States
| | - Bevan E Huang
- Janssen Research & Development US, South San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Chin Meng Khoo
- Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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34
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Debus JD, Milting H, Brodehl A, Kassner A, Anselmetti D, Gummert J, Gaertner-Rommel A. In vitro analysis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy associated desmoglein-2 (DSG2) mutations reveals diverse glycosylation patterns. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2019; 129:303-313. [DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2019.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2019] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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35
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Kant S, Freytag B, Herzog A, Reich A, Merkel R, Hoffmann B, Krusche CA, Leube RE. Desmoglein 2 mutation provokes skeletal muscle actin expression and accumulation at intercalated discs in murine hearts. J Cell Sci 2019; 132:jcs.199612. [PMID: 30659114 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.199612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 12/30/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (AC) is an incurable progressive disease that is linked to mutations in genes coding for components of desmosomal adhesions that are localized to the intercalated disc region, which electromechanically couples adjacent cardiomyocytes. To date, the underlying molecular dysfunctions are not well characterized. In two murine AC models, we find an upregulation of the skeletal muscle actin gene (Acta1), which is known to be a compensatory reaction to compromised heart function. Expression of this gene is elevated prior to visible morphological alterations and clinical symptoms, and persists throughout pathogenesis with an additional major rise during the chronic disease stage. We provide evidence that the increased Acta1 transcription is initiated through nuclear activation of the serum response transcription factor (SRF) by its transcriptional co-activator megakaryoblastic leukemia 1 protein (MKL1, also known as MRTFA). Our data further suggest that perturbed desmosomal adhesion causes Acta1 overexpression during the early stages of the disease, which is amplified by transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) release from fibrotic lesions and surrounding cardiomyocytes during later disease stages. These observations highlight a hitherto unknown molecular AC pathomechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Kant
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Freytag
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Antonia Herzog
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Anna Reich
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Rudolf Merkel
- Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Complex Systems, ICS-7, Biomechanics, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Bernd Hoffmann
- Forschungszentrum Jülich, Institute of Complex Systems, ICS-7, Biomechanics, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Claudia A Krusche
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Rudolf E Leube
- Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany
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36
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Waschke J. Desmogleins as signaling hubs regulating cell cohesion and tissue/organ function in skin and heart - EFEM lecture 2018. Ann Anat 2018; 226:96-100. [PMID: 30529571 DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2018.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
Cell-cell contacts are crucial for intercellular cohesion and formation of endothelial and epithelial barriers. Desmosomes are the adhesive contacts providing mechanical strength to epithelial intercellular adhesion and therefore are most abundant in tissues subjected to high mechanical stress such as the epidermis and heart muscle. Desmogleins (Dsg) besides intercellular adhesion serve as signalling hubs regulating cell behaviour. In desmosomal diseases such as the autoimmune blistering skin disease pemphigus or arrhythmic cardiomyopathy (AC), which is caused by mutations of desmosomal components of cardiomyocyte intercalated discs, the adhesive and signalling functions of desmosomes are impaired. Therefore, our goal is to elucidate the mechanisms regulating adhesion of desmosomes in order to develop new strategies to treat desmosomal diseases. For pemphigus, we have provided evidence that intracellular signalling is required for loss of keratinocyte cohesion and have characterized a first disease-relevant adhesion receptor consisting of Dsg3 and p38MAPK. We propose that signalling patterns correlate with autoantibody profiles and thereby define the clinical phenotypes of pemphigus. Besides direct modulation of signalling pathways we have demonstrated that peptide-mediated crosslinking of Dsg molecules can abolish skin blistering in vivo. A similar approach may be effective to stabilize adhesion in cardiomyocytes of AC hearts. Since we observed that the adrenergic β1-receptor is localized at intercalated discs we evaluate signalling pathways regulating cardiomyocyte cohesion. With adrenergic signalling we have reported a first mechanism to stabilize desmosomal adhesion in intercalated discs and proposed a new function of the sympathicus in the heart we refer to as positive adhesiotropy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jens Waschke
- Institute of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, LMU Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 11, 80336 Munich, Germany.
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37
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The role of the gap junction perinexus in cardiac conduction: Potential as a novel anti-arrhythmic drug target. PROGRESS IN BIOPHYSICS AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 144:41-50. [PMID: 30241906 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2018.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2018] [Revised: 07/09/2018] [Accepted: 08/10/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease remains the single largest cause of natural death in the United States, with a significant cause of mortality associated with cardiac arrhythmias. Presently, options for treating and preventing myocardial electrical dysfunction, including sudden cardiac death, are limited. Recent studies have indicated that conduction of electrical activation in the heart may have an ephaptic component, wherein intercellular coupling occurs via electrochemical signaling across narrow extracellular clefts between cardiomyocytes. The perinexus is a 100-200 nm-wide stretch of closely apposed membrane directly adjacent to connexin 43 gap junctions. Electron and super-resolution microscopy studies, as well as biochemical analyses, have provided evidence that perinexal nanodomains may be candidate structures for facilitating ephaptic coupling. This work has included characterization of the perinexus as a region of close inter-membrane contact between cardiomyocytes (<30 nm) containing dense clusters of voltage-gated sodium channels. Here, we review what is known about perinexal structure and function and the potential that the perinexus may have novel and pivotal roles in disorders of cardiac conduction. Of particular interest is the prospect that cell adhesion mediated by the cardiac sodium channel β subunit (Scn1b) may be a novel anti-arrhythmic target.
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38
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Veeraraghavan R, Hoeker GS, Alvarez-Laviada A, Hoagland D, Wan X, King DR, Sanchez-Alonso J, Chen C, Jourdan J, Isom LL, Deschenes I, Smyth JW, Gorelik J, Poelzing S, Gourdie RG. The adhesion function of the sodium channel beta subunit (β1) contributes to cardiac action potential propagation. eLife 2018; 7:37610. [PMID: 30106376 PMCID: PMC6122953 DOI: 10.7554/elife.37610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Computational modeling indicates that cardiac conduction may involve ephaptic coupling – intercellular communication involving electrochemical signaling across narrow extracellular clefts between cardiomyocytes. We hypothesized that β1(SCN1B) –mediated adhesion scaffolds trans-activating NaV1.5 (SCN5A) channels within narrow (<30 nm) perinexal clefts adjacent to gap junctions (GJs), facilitating ephaptic coupling. Super-resolution imaging indicated preferential β1 localization at the perinexus, where it co-locates with NaV1.5. Smart patch clamp (SPC) indicated greater sodium current density (INa) at perinexi, relative to non-junctional sites. A novel, rationally designed peptide, βadp1, potently and selectively inhibited β1-mediated adhesion, in electric cell-substrate impedance sensing studies. βadp1 significantly widened perinexi in guinea pig ventricles, and selectively reduced perinexal INa, but not whole cell INa, in myocyte monolayers. In optical mapping studies, βadp1 precipitated arrhythmogenic conduction slowing. In summary, β1-mediated adhesion at the perinexus facilitates action potential propagation between cardiomyocytes, and may represent a novel target for anti-arrhythmic therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rengasayee Veeraraghavan
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States.,School of Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States
| | - Gregory S Hoeker
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States.,School of Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States
| | | | - Daniel Hoagland
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States.,School of Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States
| | - Xiaoping Wan
- Heart and Vascular Research Center, MetroHealth Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, United States
| | - D Ryan King
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States.,School of Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States.,Graduate Program in Translational Biology, Medicine and Health, Virginia Tech, Virginia, United States
| | - Jose Sanchez-Alonso
- Department of Myocardial Function, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Chunling Chen
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Jane Jourdan
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States.,School of Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States
| | - Lori L Isom
- Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, United States
| | - Isabelle Deschenes
- Heart and Vascular Research Center, MetroHealth Medical Center, Department of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, United States.,Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Unites States
| | - James W Smyth
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States.,School of Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States.,Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, Blacksburg, United States
| | - Julia Gorelik
- Department of Myocardial Function, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Steven Poelzing
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States.,School of Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Polytechnic University, Blacksburg, United States
| | - Robert G Gourdie
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States.,School of Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, United States.,Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Polytechnic University, Blacksburg, United States
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39
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Sommariva E, Stadiotti I, Perrucci GL, Tondo C, Pompilio G. Cell models of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy: advances and opportunities. Dis Model Mech 2018; 10:823-835. [PMID: 28679668 PMCID: PMC5536909 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.029363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy is a rare genetic disease that is mostly inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. It is associated predominantly with mutations in desmosomal genes and is characterized by the replacement of the ventricular myocardium with fibrous fatty deposits, arrhythmias and a high risk of sudden death. In vitro studies have contributed to our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying this disease, including its genetic determinants, as well as its cellular, signaling and molecular defects. Here, we review what is currently known about the pathogenesis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy and focus on the in vitro models that have advanced our understanding of the disease. Finally, we assess the potential of established and innovative cell platforms for elucidating unknown aspects of this disease, and for screening new potential therapeutic agents. This appraisal of in vitro models of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy highlights the discoveries made about this disease and the uses of these models for future basic and therapeutic research. Summary:In vitro models of ACM provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of this disease. This reappraisal offers a comprehensive vision of past discoveries and constitutes a tool for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Sommariva
- Vascular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Unit, Centro Cardiologico Monzino-IRCCS, via Parea 4, Milan 20138, Italy
| | - Ilaria Stadiotti
- Vascular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Unit, Centro Cardiologico Monzino-IRCCS, via Parea 4, Milan 20138, Italy
| | - Gianluca L Perrucci
- Vascular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Unit, Centro Cardiologico Monzino-IRCCS, via Parea 4, Milan 20138, Italy.,Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Festa del Perdono 7, Milan 20122, Italy
| | - Claudio Tondo
- Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Festa del Perdono 7, Milan 20122, Italy.,Cardiac Arrhythmia Research Center, Centro Cardiologico Monzino-IRCCS, via Parea 4, Milan 20138, Italy
| | - Giulio Pompilio
- Vascular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Unit, Centro Cardiologico Monzino-IRCCS, via Parea 4, Milan 20138, Italy.,Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, Università degli Studi di Milano, Via Festa del Perdono 7, Milan 20122, Italy
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40
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Kessler EL, Nikkels PG, van Veen TA. Disturbed Desmoglein-2 in the intercalated disc of pediatric patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Hum Pathol 2017; 67:101-108. [PMID: 28764973 DOI: 10.1016/j.humpath.2017.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Revised: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) leads to disturbed contraction and force transduction, and is associated with substantial mortality in all age groups. Involvement of a disrupted composition of the intercalated disc (ID) has been reported. However, in children, little is established about such subcellular changes during disease, because of the pathological mix-up with the ongoing cardiac maturation. This leaves maladaptive remodeling often undetected. We aimed at illustrating subcellular alterations in children diagnosed with DCM compared to age-matched controls, focusing on ID proteins known to be crucially stable under healthy conditions and destabilized during cardiac injury in adults. Left ventricular or septal pediatric specimens were collected from 7 individuals diagnosed with DCM (age: 23 weeks in utero to 8 weeks postnatal) and age-matched controls that died of non-cardiovascular cause. We determined the amount of fibrosis and localization of ID proteins by immunohistochemistry. In pediatric DCM, most ID proteins follow similar spatiotemporal changes in localization as in controls. However, although no mutations were found, the signal of the desmosomal protein Desmoglein-2 was reduced in all pediatric DCM specimens, but not in controls or adult DCM patients. Endocardial and transmural fibrosis was increased in all pediatric DCM patients compared to age-matched controls. Composition of the ID in pediatric DCM patients is similar to controls, except for the localization of Desmoglein-2 and presence of severe fibrosis. This suggests that the architecture of desmosomes is already disturbed in the early stages of DCM. These findings contribute to the understanding of pediatric DCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise L Kessler
- Department of Medical Physiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584CM Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Gj Nikkels
- Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584CX Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Toon Ab van Veen
- Department of Medical Physiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584CM Utrecht, The Netherlands.
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Desmoglein 2 regulates the intestinal epithelial barrier via p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. Sci Rep 2017; 7:6329. [PMID: 28740231 PMCID: PMC5524837 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-06713-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2017] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Intestinal epithelial barrier properties are maintained by a junctional complex consisting of tight junctions (TJ), adherens junctions (AJ) and desmosomes. Desmoglein 2 (Dsg2), an adhesion molecule of desmosomes and the only Dsg isoform expressed in enterocytes, is required for epithelial barrier properties and may contribute to barrier defects in Crohn’s disease. Here, we identified extradesmosomal Dsg2 on the surface of polarized enterocytes by Triton extraction, confocal microscopy, SIM and STED. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed Dsg2-specific binding events along the cell border on the surface of enterocytes with a mean unbinding force of around 30pN. Binding events were blocked by an inhibitory antibody targeting Dsg2 which under same conditions activated p38MAPK but did not reduce cell cohesion. In enterocytes deficient for Dsg2, p38MAPK activity was reduced and both barrier integrity and reformation were impaired. Dsc2 rescue did not restore p38MAPK activity indicating that Dsg2 is required. Accordingly, direct activation of p38MAPK in Dsg2-deficient cells enhanced barrier reformation demonstrating that Dsg2-mediated activation of p38MAPK is crucial for barrier function. Collectively, our data show that Dsg2, beside its adhesion function, regulates intestinal barrier function via p38MAPK signalling. This is in contrast to keratinocytes and points towards tissue-specific signalling functions of desmosomal cadherins.
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Moncayo-Arlandi J, Brugada R. Unmasking the molecular link between arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy and Brugada syndrome. Nat Rev Cardiol 2017; 14:744-756. [DOI: 10.1038/nrcardio.2017.103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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Hütz K, Zeiler J, Sachs L, Ormanns S, Spindler V. Loss of desmoglein 2 promotes tumorigenic behavior in pancreatic cancer cells. Mol Carcinog 2017; 56:1884-1895. [PMID: 28277619 DOI: 10.1002/mc.22644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2016] [Revised: 02/17/2017] [Accepted: 03/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The ability to maintain cell-cell adhesion is crucial for tissue integrity and organization. Accordingly, loss of cohesiveness plays a critical role in cancer invasion and metastasis. Desmosomes are cell junctions providing strong intercellular adhesive strength and dysregulation of desmosomal constituents contributes to cancer progression through altered cell signaling pathways. Here, we focused on the desmosomal adhesion molecules Desmoglein 2 (Dsg2) and Desmocollin 2 (Dsc2), and their contribution to migration and invasion in pancreatic cancer cells. Silencing of Dsg2 but not Dsc2 resulted in loss of cell cohesion and enhanced migration, and invasion of pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells. To identify potential pathways regulated by Dsg2, we performed kinase arrays and detected the activity of ERK and growth factor receptors to be significantly enhanced in Dsg2-deficient cells. Consequently, inhibition of ERK phosphorylation in Dsg2 knockdown cells normalized migration. Loss of Dsg2 resulted in reduced levels of the desmosomal adapter protein and transcriptional regulator Plakoglobin (PG) in an ERK-dependent manner, whereas other desmosomal molecules were not altered. Overexpression of PG rescued enhanced migration induced by silencing of Dsg2. These results identify a novel pro-migratory pathway of pancreatic cancer cells in which loss of Dsg2 reduces the levels of PG via deregulated MAPK signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Hütz
- Department I, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Julian Zeiler
- Department I, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Lena Sachs
- Department I, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Steffen Ormanns
- Institute of Pathology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Volker Spindler
- Department I, Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Munich, Germany
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Schinner C, Vielmuth F, Rötzer V, Hiermaier M, Radeva MY, Co TK, Hartlieb E, Schmidt A, Imhof A, Messoudi A, Horn A, Schlipp A, Spindler V, Waschke J. Adrenergic Signaling Strengthens Cardiac Myocyte Cohesion. Circ Res 2017; 120:1305-1317. [PMID: 28289018 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.116.309631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2016] [Revised: 02/22/2017] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
RATIONALE The sympathetic nervous system is a major mediator of heart function. Intercalated discs composed of desmosomes, adherens junctions, and gap junctions provide the structural backbone for coordinated contraction of cardiac myocytes. OBJECTIVE Gap junctions dynamically remodel to adapt to sympathetic signaling. However, it is unknown whether such rapid adaption also occurs for the adhesive function provided by desmosomes and adherens junctions. METHODS AND RESULTS Atomic force microscopy revealed that β-adrenergic signaling enhances both the number of desmoglein 2-specific interactions along cell junctions and the mean desmoglein 2-mediated binding forces, whereas N-cadherin-mediated interactions were not affected. This was accompanied by increased cell cohesion in cardiac myocyte cultures and murine heart slices. Enhanced desmoglein 2-positive contacts and increased junction length as revealed by immunofluorescence and electron microscopy reflected cAMP-induced reorganization of intercellular contacts. The mechanism underlying cAMP-mediated strengthening of desmoglein 2 binding was dependent on expression of the intercalated disc plaque protein plakoglobin (Pg) and direct phosphorylation at S665 by protein kinase A: Pg deficiency as well as overexpression of the phospho-deficient Pg-mutant S665A abrogated both cAMP-mediated junctional remodeling and increase of cohesion. Moreover, Pg knockout hearts failed to functionally adapt to adrenergic stimulation. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, we provide first evidence for positive adhesiotropy as a new cardiac function of sympathetic signaling. Positive adhesiotropy is dependent on Pg phosphorylation at S665 by protein kinase A. This mechanism may be of high medical relevance because loss of junctional Pg is a hallmark of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Schinner
- From the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology (C.S., F.V., V.R., M.H., M.Y.R., T.K.C., E.H., A.M., A.H., A. Schlipp, V.S., J.W.) and Biomedical Center and Center for Integrated Protein Sciences Munich (A. Schmidt, A.I.), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany
| | - Franziska Vielmuth
- From the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology (C.S., F.V., V.R., M.H., M.Y.R., T.K.C., E.H., A.M., A.H., A. Schlipp, V.S., J.W.) and Biomedical Center and Center for Integrated Protein Sciences Munich (A. Schmidt, A.I.), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany
| | - Vera Rötzer
- From the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology (C.S., F.V., V.R., M.H., M.Y.R., T.K.C., E.H., A.M., A.H., A. Schlipp, V.S., J.W.) and Biomedical Center and Center for Integrated Protein Sciences Munich (A. Schmidt, A.I.), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany
| | - Matthias Hiermaier
- From the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology (C.S., F.V., V.R., M.H., M.Y.R., T.K.C., E.H., A.M., A.H., A. Schlipp, V.S., J.W.) and Biomedical Center and Center for Integrated Protein Sciences Munich (A. Schmidt, A.I.), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany
| | - Mariya Y Radeva
- From the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology (C.S., F.V., V.R., M.H., M.Y.R., T.K.C., E.H., A.M., A.H., A. Schlipp, V.S., J.W.) and Biomedical Center and Center for Integrated Protein Sciences Munich (A. Schmidt, A.I.), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany
| | - Thu Kim Co
- From the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology (C.S., F.V., V.R., M.H., M.Y.R., T.K.C., E.H., A.M., A.H., A. Schlipp, V.S., J.W.) and Biomedical Center and Center for Integrated Protein Sciences Munich (A. Schmidt, A.I.), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany
| | - Eva Hartlieb
- From the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology (C.S., F.V., V.R., M.H., M.Y.R., T.K.C., E.H., A.M., A.H., A. Schlipp, V.S., J.W.) and Biomedical Center and Center for Integrated Protein Sciences Munich (A. Schmidt, A.I.), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany
| | - Andreas Schmidt
- From the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology (C.S., F.V., V.R., M.H., M.Y.R., T.K.C., E.H., A.M., A.H., A. Schlipp, V.S., J.W.) and Biomedical Center and Center for Integrated Protein Sciences Munich (A. Schmidt, A.I.), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany
| | - Axel Imhof
- From the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology (C.S., F.V., V.R., M.H., M.Y.R., T.K.C., E.H., A.M., A.H., A. Schlipp, V.S., J.W.) and Biomedical Center and Center for Integrated Protein Sciences Munich (A. Schmidt, A.I.), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany
| | - Ahmed Messoudi
- From the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology (C.S., F.V., V.R., M.H., M.Y.R., T.K.C., E.H., A.M., A.H., A. Schlipp, V.S., J.W.) and Biomedical Center and Center for Integrated Protein Sciences Munich (A. Schmidt, A.I.), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany
| | - Anja Horn
- From the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology (C.S., F.V., V.R., M.H., M.Y.R., T.K.C., E.H., A.M., A.H., A. Schlipp, V.S., J.W.) and Biomedical Center and Center for Integrated Protein Sciences Munich (A. Schmidt, A.I.), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany
| | - Angela Schlipp
- From the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology (C.S., F.V., V.R., M.H., M.Y.R., T.K.C., E.H., A.M., A.H., A. Schlipp, V.S., J.W.) and Biomedical Center and Center for Integrated Protein Sciences Munich (A. Schmidt, A.I.), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany
| | - Volker Spindler
- From the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology (C.S., F.V., V.R., M.H., M.Y.R., T.K.C., E.H., A.M., A.H., A. Schlipp, V.S., J.W.) and Biomedical Center and Center for Integrated Protein Sciences Munich (A. Schmidt, A.I.), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany
| | - Jens Waschke
- From the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology (C.S., F.V., V.R., M.H., M.Y.R., T.K.C., E.H., A.M., A.H., A. Schlipp, V.S., J.W.) and Biomedical Center and Center for Integrated Protein Sciences Munich (A. Schmidt, A.I.), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Germany.
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Desmoglein-2 is overexpressed in non-small cell lung cancer tissues and its knockdown suppresses NSCLC growth by regulation of p27 and CDK2. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 2016; 143:59-69. [PMID: 27629878 DOI: 10.1007/s00432-016-2250-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2016] [Accepted: 08/31/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Desmoglein-2 (Dsg2) is a cell adhesion protein of the cadherin superfamily. Altered Dsg2 expression is associated with tumorigenesis. This study determined Dsg2 expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tissue specimens for association with clinicopathological and survival data and then assessed the effect of Dsg2 knockdown on regulation of NSCLC cell malignant behaviors in vitro and in nude mouse xenografts. METHODS qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect Dsg2 expression in 28 paired NSCLC and normal tissue samples. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect Dsg2 expression in 70 cases of paraffin-embedded NSCLC tissues. NSCLC A549, H1703, and H1299 cells were cultured with Dsg2 knockdown performed using Dsg2 siRNA. Cell viability, cell cycle, apoptosis, and colony formation were assessed. siRNA-transfected A549 cells were also used to generate tumor xenografts in nude mice. RESULTS Both Dsg2 mRNA and protein were highly expressed in NSCLC tissues and associated with NSCLC size, but not with overall survival of patients. Moreover, knockdown of Dsg2 expression reduced NSCLC cell proliferation and arrested them at the G1 phase of the cell cycle, but did not significantly affect NSCLC cell apoptosis. Dsg2 knockdown downregulated cyclin-dependent kinase 2 expression and upregulated p27 expression. Nude mouse xenograft assays showed that Dsg2 knockdown inhibited NSCLC xenograft growth in vivo. CONCLUSION This study revealed the importance of Dsg2 in suppression of NSCLC development and progression. Further studies will explore whether restoration of Dsg2 expression is a novel strategy in control of NSCLC.
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Vielmuth F, Waschke J, Spindler V. Loss of Desmoglein Binding Is Not Sufficient for Keratinocyte Dissociation in Pemphigus. J Invest Dermatol 2015; 135:3068-3077. [DOI: 10.1038/jid.2015.324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2015] [Revised: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 07/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
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Akdis D, Medeiros-Domingo A, Gaertner-Rommel A, Kast JI, Enseleit F, Bode P, Klingel K, Kandolf R, Renois F, Andreoletti L, Akdis CA, Milting H, Lüscher TF, Brunckhorst C, Saguner AM, Duru F. Myocardial expression profiles of candidate molecules in patients with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia compared to those with dilated cardiomyopathy and healthy controls. Heart Rhythm 2015; 13:731-41. [PMID: 26569459 DOI: 10.1016/j.hrthm.2015.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy/dysplasia (ARVC/D) is mainly an autosomal dominant disease characterized by fibrofatty infiltration of the right ventricle, leading to ventricular arrhythmias. Mutations in desmosomal proteins can be identified in about half of the patients. The pathogenic mechanisms leading to disease expression remain unclear. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to investigate myocardial expression profiles of candidate molecules involved in the pathogenesis of ARVC/D. METHODS Myocardial messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of 62 junctional molecules, 5 cardiac ion channel molecules, 8 structural molecules, 4 apoptotic molecules, and 6 adipogenic molecules was studied. The averaged expression of candidate mRNAs was compared between ARVC/D samples (n = 10), nonfamilial dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) samples (n = 10), and healthy control samples (n = 8). Immunohistochemistry and quantitative protein expression analysis were performed. Genetic analysis using next generation sequencing was performed in all patients with ARVC/D. RESULTS Following mRNA levels were significantly increased in patients with ARVC/D compared to those with DCM and healthy controls: phospholamban (P ≤ .001 vs DCM; P ≤ .001 vs controls), healthy tumor protein 53 apoptosis effector (P = .001 vs DCM; P ≤ .001 vs controls), and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1β (P ≤ .001 vs DCM; P = 0.008 vs controls). Plakophillin-2 (PKP-2) mRNA was downregulated in patients with ARVC/D with PKP-2 mutations compared with patients with ARVC/D without PKP-2 mutations (P = .04). Immunohistochemistry revealed significantly increased protein expression of phospholamban, tumor protein 53 apoptosis effector, and carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1β in patients with ARVC/D and decreased PKP-2 expression in patients with ARVC/D carrying a PKP-2 mutation. CONCLUSION Changes in the expression profiles of sarcolemmal calcium channel regulation, apoptosis, and adipogenesis suggest that these molecular pathways may play a critical role in the pathogenesis of ARVC/D, independent of the underlying genetic mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deniz Akdis
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Argelia Medeiros-Domingo
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Jeannette I Kast
- Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), University of Zurich, Davos, Switzerland
| | - Frank Enseleit
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Peter Bode
- Department of Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Karin Klingel
- Department of Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Reinhard Kandolf
- Department of Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Fanny Renois
- Laboratoire de Virologie Médicale et Moléculaire, EA 4684 CardioVir, Faculté de Médecine et CHU Robert Debré, Reims, France
| | - Laurent Andreoletti
- Laboratoire de Virologie Médicale et Moléculaire, EA 4684 CardioVir, Faculté de Médecine et CHU Robert Debré, Reims, France
| | - Cezmi A Akdis
- Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), University of Zurich, Davos, Switzerland
| | - Hendrik Milting
- Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Thomas F Lüscher
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Corinna Brunckhorst
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ardan M Saguner
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Firat Duru
- Department of Cardiology, University Heart Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Kant S, Holthöfer B, Magin TM, Krusche CA, Leube RE. Desmoglein 2-Dependent Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy Is Caused by a Loss of Adhesive Function. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 8:553-63. [PMID: 26085008 DOI: 10.1161/circgenetics.114.000974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2014] [Accepted: 06/09/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The desmosomal cadherin desmoglein 2 (Dsg2) localizes to the intercalated disc coupling adjacent cardiomyocytes. Desmoglein 2 gene (DSG2) mutations cause arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy (AC) in human and transgenic mice. AC is characterized by arrhythmia, cardiodilation, cardiomyocyte necrosis with replacement fibrosis, interstitial fibrosis, and intercalated disc dissociation. The genetic DSG2 constellations encountered are compatible with loss of adhesion and altered signaling. To further elucidate pathomechanisms, we examined whether heart-specific Dsg2 depletion triggers cardiomyopathy. METHODS AND RESULTS Because DSG2 knockouts die during early embryogenesis, mice were prepared with cardiomyocyte-specific DSG2 ablation. Healthy transgenic animals were born with a functional heart presenting intercalated discs with incorporated desmosomal proteins. Dsg2 protein expression was reduced below 3% in the heart. All animals developed AC during postnatal growth with pronounced chamber dilation, calcifying cardiomyocyte necrosis, aseptic inflammation, interstitial and focal replacement fibrosis, and conduction defects with altered connexin 43 distribution. Electron microscopy revealed absence of desmosome-like structures and regional loss of intercalated disc adhesion. Mice carrying 2 mutant DSG2 alleles coding for Dsg2 lacking part of the adhesive EC1-EC2 domains present an indistinguishable phenotype, which is similar to that observed in human AC patients. CONCLUSIONS The observations show that the presence of Dsg2 is not essential for late heart morphogenesis and for cardiac contractility to support postnatal life. On increasing mechanical demands, heart function is severely compromised as evidenced by the onset of cardiomyopathy with pronounced morphological alterations. We propose that loss of Dsg2 compromises adhesion, and that this is a major pathogenic mechanism in DSG2-related and probably other desmosome-related ACs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Kant
- From the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (S.K., B.H., C.A.K., R.E.L.); and Institute of Biology and Translational Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany (T.M.M.)
| | - Bastian Holthöfer
- From the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (S.K., B.H., C.A.K., R.E.L.); and Institute of Biology and Translational Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany (T.M.M.)
| | - Thomas M Magin
- From the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (S.K., B.H., C.A.K., R.E.L.); and Institute of Biology and Translational Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany (T.M.M.)
| | - Claudia A Krusche
- From the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (S.K., B.H., C.A.K., R.E.L.); and Institute of Biology and Translational Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany (T.M.M.)
| | - Rudolf E Leube
- From the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany (S.K., B.H., C.A.K., R.E.L.); and Institute of Biology and Translational Center for Regenerative Medicine, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany (T.M.M.).
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Veeraraghavan R, Poelzing S, Gourdie RG. Novel ligands for zipping and unzipping the intercalated disk: today's experimental tools, tomorrow's therapies? Cardiovasc Res 2014; 104:229-30. [PMID: 25280893 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvu216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Rengasayee Veeraraghavan
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Center for Heart and Regenerative Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, VA, USA
| | - Steven Poelzing
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Center for Heart and Regenerative Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, VA, USA School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic University, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Robert G Gourdie
- Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, Center for Heart and Regenerative Medicine, Virginia Polytechnic University, Roanoke, VA, USA School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic University, Blacksburg, VA, USA Department of Emergency Medicine, Carilion Clinic. Roanoke, VA, USA
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