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Stål P, Nord H, von Hofsten J, Holmlund T, Shah F. Desmin gene expression is not ubiquitous in all upper airway myofibers and the pattern differs between healthy and sleep apnea subjects. Eur J Med Res 2024; 29:216. [PMID: 38566246 PMCID: PMC10988944 DOI: 10.1186/s40001-024-01812-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Desmin is a major cytoskeletal protein considered ubiquitous in mature muscle fibers. However, we earlier reported that a subgroup of muscle fibers in the soft palate of healthy subjects and obstructive sleep apnea patients (OSA) lacked immunoexpression for desmin. This raised the question of whether these fibers also lack messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) for desmin and can be considered a novel fiber phenotype. Moreover, some fibers in the OSA patients had an abnormal distribution and aggregates of desmin. Thus, the aim of the study was to investigate if these desmin protein abnormalities are also reflected in the expression of desmin mRNA in an upper airway muscle of healthy subjects and OSA patients. METHODS Muscle biopsies from the musculus uvulae in the soft palate were obtained from ten healthy male subjects and six male patients with OSA. Overnight sleep apnea registrations were done for all participants. Immunohistochemistry, in-situ hybridization, and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) techniques were used to evaluate the presence of desmin protein and its mRNA. RESULTS Our findings demonstrated that a group of muscle fibers lacked expression for desmin mRNA and desmin protein in healthy individuals and OSA patients (12.0 ± 5.6% vs. 23.1 ± 10.8%, p = 0.03). A subpopulation of these fibers displayed a weak subsarcolemmal rim of desmin accompanied by a few scattered mRNA dots in the cytoplasm. The muscles of OSA patients also differed from healthy subjects by exhibiting muscle fibers with reorganized or accumulated aggregates of desmin protein (14.5 ± 6.5%). In these abnormal fibers, the density of mRNA was generally low or concentrated in specific regions. The overall quantification of desmin mRNA by RT-qPCR was significantly upregulated in OSA patients compared to healthy subjects (p = 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Our study shows evidence that muscle fibers in the human soft palate lack both mRNA and protein for desmin. This indicates a novel cytoskeletal structure and challenges the ubiquity of desmin in muscle fibers. Moreover, the observation of reorganized or accumulated aggregates of desmin mRNA and desmin protein in OSA patients suggests a disturbance in the transcription and translation process in the fibers of the patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Per Stål
- Department of Medical and Translational Biology, Umeå University, SE-901 87, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Hanna Nord
- Department of Medical and Translational Biology, Umeå University, SE-901 87, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Jonas von Hofsten
- Department of Medical and Translational Biology, Umeå University, SE-901 87, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Thorbjörn Holmlund
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Otorhinolaryngology, Umeå University, SE-901 87, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Farhan Shah
- Department of Medical and Translational Biology, Umeå University, SE-901 87, Umeå, Sweden.
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Takegami N, Mitsutake A, Mano T, Shintani-Domoto Y, Unuma A, Yamaguchi-Takegami N, Ishiura H, Sakuishi K, Ando M, Yamauchi H, Ono M, Morishita S, Mitsui J, Shimizu J, Tsuji S, Toda T. The Myocardial Accumulation of Aggregated Desmin Protein in a Case of Desminopathy with a de novo DES p.R406W Mutation. Intern Med 2023; 62:2883-2887. [PMID: 36792195 PMCID: PMC10602824 DOI: 10.2169/internalmedicine.0992-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Desminopathy is a cardiac and skeletal myopathy caused by disease-causing variants in the desmin (DES) gene and represents a subgroup of myofibrillar myopathies, where cytoplasmic desmin-postive immunoreactivity is the pathological hallmark. We herein report a 28-year-old Japanese man who was initially diagnosed with sporadic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy with atrioventricular block at 9 years old and developed weakness in the soft palate and extremities. The myocardial tissue dissected during implantation of the ventricular-assisted device showed a dilated phase of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and intracellular accumulation of proteinase K-resistant desmin aggregates. Genetic testing confirmed a de novo mutation of DES, which has already been linked to desminopathy. As the molecular diagnosis of desminopathy is challenging, particularly if patients show predominantly cardiac signs and a routine skeletal muscle biopsy is unavailable, these characteristic pathological findings of endomyocardial proteinase K-resistant desmin aggregates might aid in clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoki Takegami
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akihiko Mitsutake
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tatsuo Mano
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Degenerative Neurological Diseases, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Japan
| | | | - Atsushi Unuma
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Hiroyuki Ishiura
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kaori Sakuishi
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masahiko Ando
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Japan
| | - Haruo Yamauchi
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Japan
| | - Minoru Ono
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Japan
| | - Shinichi Morishita
- Department of Computational Biology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jun Mitsui
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Molecular Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jun Shimizu
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shoji Tsuji
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Molecular Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
- Institute of Medical Genomics, International University of Health and Welfare, Japan
| | - Tatsushi Toda
- Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Japan
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Pérez-Carrillo L, Giménez-Escamilla I, Sánchez-Lázaro I, Triviño JC, Feijóo-Bandín S, Lago F, González-Juanatey JR, Martínez-Dolz L, Portolés M, Tarazón E, Roselló-Lletí E. Alpha-cardiac Actin Serum Expression Levels Detect Acute Cellular Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients. Transplantation 2023; 107:466-474. [PMID: 35939381 PMCID: PMC9875841 DOI: 10.1097/tp.0000000000004273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Given the central role of sarcomeric dysfunction in cardiomyocyte biology and sarcomere alterations described in endomyocardial biopsies of transplant patients with rejection, we hypothesized that the serum expression levels of genes encoding sarcomeric proteins were altered in acute cellular rejection (ACR). The aim of this study is to identify altered sarcomere-related molecules in serum and to evaluate their diagnostic accuracy for detecting rejection episodes. METHODS Serum samples from transplant recipients undergoing routine endomyocardial biopsies were included in an RNA sequencing analysis (n = 40). Protein concentrations of alpha-cardiac actin were determined using a specific enzyme-linked immunoassay (n = 80). RESULTS We identified 17 sarcomeric genes differentially expressed in patients with clinically relevant rejection (grade ≥2R ACR). A receiver operating characteristic curve was done to assess their accuracy for ACR detection and found that 6 relevant actins, myosins, and other sarcomere-related genes showed great diagnostic capacity with an area under the curve (AUC) > 0.800. Specifically, the gene encoding alpha-cardiac actin ( ACTC1 ) showed the best results (AUC = 1.000, P < 0.0001). We determine ACTC1 protein levels in a larger patient cohort, corroborating its overexpression and obtaining a significant diagnostic capacity for clinically relevant rejection (AUC = 0.702, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Sarcomeric alterations are reflected in peripheral blood of patients with allograft rejection. Because of their precision to detect ACR, we propose sarcomere ACTC1 serum expression levels as potential candidate for to be included in the development of molecular panel testing for noninvasive ACR detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena Pérez-Carrillo
- Clinical and Translational Research in Cardiology Unit, Health Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain and CIBERCV, Madrid, Spain
| | - Isaac Giménez-Escamilla
- Clinical and Translational Research in Cardiology Unit, Health Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain and CIBERCV, Madrid, Spain
| | - Ignacio Sánchez-Lázaro
- Clinical and Translational Research in Cardiology Unit, Health Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain and CIBERCV, Madrid, Spain
- Heart Failure and Transplantation Unit, Cardiology Department, University and Polytechnic La Fe Hospital, Valencia, Spain
| | | | - Sandra Feijóo-Bandín
- Cellular and Molecular Cardiology Research Unit, Department of Cardiology and Institute of Biomedical Research, University Clinical Hospital, Santiago de Compostela, Spain and CIBERCV, Madrid, Spain
| | - Francisca Lago
- Cellular and Molecular Cardiology Research Unit, Department of Cardiology and Institute of Biomedical Research, University Clinical Hospital, Santiago de Compostela, Spain and CIBERCV, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Ramón González-Juanatey
- Cellular and Molecular Cardiology Research Unit, Department of Cardiology and Institute of Biomedical Research, University Clinical Hospital, Santiago de Compostela, Spain and CIBERCV, Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Martínez-Dolz
- Clinical and Translational Research in Cardiology Unit, Health Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain and CIBERCV, Madrid, Spain
- Heart Failure and Transplantation Unit, Cardiology Department, University and Polytechnic La Fe Hospital, Valencia, Spain
| | - Manuel Portolés
- Clinical and Translational Research in Cardiology Unit, Health Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain and CIBERCV, Madrid, Spain
| | - Estefanía Tarazón
- Clinical and Translational Research in Cardiology Unit, Health Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain and CIBERCV, Madrid, Spain
| | - Esther Roselló-Lletí
- Clinical and Translational Research in Cardiology Unit, Health Research Institute Hospital La Fe (IIS La Fe), Valencia, Spain and CIBERCV, Madrid, Spain
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Liu Z, Song YN, Chen KY, Gao WL, Chen HJ, Liang GY. Bioinformatics prediction of potential mechanisms and biomarkers underlying dilated cardiomyopathy. World J Cardiol 2022; 14:282-296. [PMID: 35702326 PMCID: PMC9157606 DOI: 10.4330/wjc.v14.i5.282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Heart failure is a health burden responsible for high morbidity and mortality worldwide, and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the most common causes of heart failure. DCM is a disease of the heart muscle and is characterized by enlargement and dilation of at least one ventricle alongside impaired contractility with left ventricular ejection fraction < 40%. It is also associated with abnormalities in cytoskeletal proteins, mitochondrial ATP transporter, microvasculature, and fibrosis. However, the pathogenesis and potential biomarkers of DCM remain to be investigated. AIM To investigate the candidate genes and pathways involved in DCM patients. METHODS Two expression datasets (GSE3585 and GSE5406) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between the DCM patients and healthy individuals were identified using the R package "linear models for microarray data." The pathways with common DEGs were analyzed via Gene Ontology (GO), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and gene set enrichment analyses. Moreover, a protein-protein interaction network (PPI) was constructed to identify the hub genes and modules. The MicroRNA Database was applied to predict the microRNAs (miRNAs) targeting the hub genes. Additionally, immune cell infiltration in DCM was analyzed using CIBERSORT. RESULTS In total, 97 DEGs (47 upregulated and 50 downregulated) were identified. GO analysis showed that the DEGs were mainly enriched in "response to growth factor," "extracellular matrix," and "extracellular matrix structural constituent." KEGG pathway analysis indicated that the DEGs were mainly enriched in "protein digestion and absorption" and "interleukin 17 (IL-17) signaling pathway." The PPI network suggested that collagen type III alpha 1 chain (COL3A1) and COL1A2 contribute to the pathogenesis of DCM. Additionally, visualization of the interactions between miRNAs and the hub genes revealed that hsa-miR-5682 and hsa-miR-4500 interacted with both COL3A1 and COL1A2, and thus these miRNAs might play roles in DCM. Immune cell infiltration analysis revealed that DCM patients had more infiltrated plasma cells and fewer infiltrated B memory cells, T follicular helper cells, and resting dendritic cells. CONCLUSION COL1A2 and COL3A1 and their targeting miRNAs, hsa-miR-5682 and hsa-miR-4500, may play critical roles in the pathogenesis of DCM, which are closely related to the IL-17 signaling pathway and acute inflammatory response. These results may provide useful clues for the diagnosis and treatment of DCM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhou Liu
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China
- Translational Medicine Research Center, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Ying-Nan Song
- Translational Medicine Research Center, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 510000, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Kai-Yuan Chen
- Translational Medicine Research Center, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Wei-Long Gao
- Translational Medicine Research Center, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Hong-Jin Chen
- Translational Medicine Research Center, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 510000, Guizhou Province, China
| | - Gui-You Liang
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China
- Translational Medicine Research Center, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou Province, China
- Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 510000, Guizhou Province, China.
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Evangelisti A, Butler H, del Monte F. The Heart of the Alzheimer's: A Mindful View of Heart Disease. Front Physiol 2021; 11:625974. [PMID: 33584340 PMCID: PMC7873884 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2020.625974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose of Review: This review summarizes the current evidence for the involvement of proteotoxicity and protein quality control systems defects in diseases of the central nervous and cardiovascular systems. Specifically, it presents the commonalities between the pathophysiology of protein misfolding diseases in the heart and the brain. Recent Findings: The involvement of protein homeostasis dysfunction has been for long time investigated and accepted as one of the leading pathophysiological causes of neurodegenerative diseases. In cardiovascular diseases instead the mechanistic focus had been on the primary role of Ca2+ dishomeostasis, myofilament dysfunction as well as extracellular fibrosis, whereas no attention was given to misfolding of proteins as a pathogenetic mechanism. Instead, in the recent years, several contributions have shown protein aggregates in failing hearts similar to the ones found in the brain and increasing evidence have highlighted the crucial importance that proteotoxicity exerts via pre-amyloidogenic species in cardiovascular diseases as well as the prominent role of the cellular response to misfolded protein accumulation. As a result, proteotoxicity, unfolding protein response (UPR), and ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) have recently been investigated as potential key pathogenic pathways and therapeutic targets for heart disease. Summary: Overall, the current knowledge summarized in this review describes how the misfolding process in the brain parallels in the heart. Understanding the folding and unfolding mechanisms involved early through studies in the heart will provide new knowledge for neurodegenerative proteinopathies and may prepare the stage for targeted and personalized interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Helen Butler
- School of Medicine, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology and Pathobiology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
| | - Federica del Monte
- Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, United States
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