Deficiency of ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase modulates functional and biochemical parameters of the heart in response to Western-type diet

Heyingwuzi formulation alleviates diabetic retinopathy by promoting mitophagy via the HIF-1α/BNIP3/NIX axis

BACKGROUND

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the primary cause of visual problems in patients with diabetes. The Heyingwuzi formulation (HYWZF) is effective against DR.

AIM

To determine the HYWZF prevention mechanisms, especially those underlying mitophagy.

METHODS

Human retinal capillary endothelial cells (HRCECs) were treated with high glucose (hg), HYWZF serum, PX-478, or Mdivi-1 in vitro. Then, cell counting kit-8, transwell, and tube formation assays were used to evaluate HRCEC proliferation, invasion, and tube formation, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy was used to assess mitochondrial morphology, and Western blotting was used to determine the protein levels. Flow cytometry was used to assess cell apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and mitochondrial membrane potential. Moreover, C57BL/6 mice were established in vivo using streptozotocin and treated with HYWZF for four weeks. Blood glucose levels and body weight were monitored continuously. Changes in retinal characteristics were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin, tar violet, and periodic acid-Schiff staining. Protein levels in retinal tissues were determined via Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and immunostaining.

RESULTS

HYWZF inhibited excessive ROS production, apoptosis, tube formation, and invasion in hg-induced HRCECs via mitochondrial autophagy in vitro. It increased the mRNA expression levels of BCL2-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3), FUN14 domain-containing 1, BNIP3-like (BNIP3L, also known as NIX), PARKIN, PTEN-induced kinase 1, and hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α. Moreover, it downregulated the protein levels of vascular endothelial cell growth factor and increased the light chain 3-II/I ratio. However, PX-478 and Mdivi-1 reversed these effects. Additionally, PX-478 and Mdivi-1 rescued the effects of HYWZF by decreasing oxidative stress and apoptosis and increasing mitophagy. HYWZF intervention improved the symptoms of diabetes, tissue damage, number of acellular capillaries, and oxidative stress in vivo. Furthermore, in vivo experiments confirmed the results of in vitro experiments.

CONCLUSION

HYWZF alleviated DR and associated damage by promoting mitophagy via the HIF-1α/BNIP3/NIX axis.

Mechanical loading reveals an intrinsic cardiomyocyte stiffness contribution to diastolic dysfunction in murine cardiometabolic disease

Cardiometabolic syndromes including diabetes and obesity are associated with occurrence of heart failure with diastolic dysfunction. There are no specific treatments for diastolic dysfunction and therapies to manage symptoms have limited efficacy. Understanding of the cardiomyocyte origins of diastolic dysfunction is an important priority to identify new therapeutics. The investigative goal was to experimentally define in vitro stiffness (stress/strain) properties of isolated cardiomyocytes derived from rodent hearts exhibiting diastolic dysfunction in vivo in response to dietary induction of cardiometabolic disease. Mice fed a High Fat/Sugar Diet (HFSD vs control) for at least 25 weeks exhibited glucose intolerance, obesity and diastolic dysfunction (echo E/e'). Intact paced cardiomyocytes were functionally investigated in three conditions: non-loaded, loaded and stretched. Mean stiffness of HFSD cardiomyocytes was 70% higher than control. The E/e' doppler ratio for the origin hearts was elevated by 35%. A significant relationship was identified between in vitro cardiomyocyte stiffness and in vivo dysfunction severity. With conversion from non-loaded to loaded condition, the decrement in maximal sarcomere lengthening rate was more accentuated in HFSD cardiomyocytes (vs control). With stretch, the Ca 2+ transient decay time course was prolonged. With transition from 2-4Hz pacing, HFSD cardiomyocyte stiffness was further increased, yet diastolic Ca 2+ rise was 50% less than control. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that a component of cardiac diastolic dysfunction in cardiometabolic disease is derived from intrinsic cardiomyocyte mechanical abnormality. Differential responses to load, stretch and pacing suggest that a previously undescribed alteration in myofilament-Ca 2+ interaction contributes to cardiomyocyte stiffness in cardiometabolic disease.

KEY POINTS

Understanding cardiomyocyte stiffness components is an important priority for identifying new therapeutics for diastolic dysfunction, a key feature of cardiometabolic disease. In this study cardiac function was measured in vivo (echocardiography) for mice fed a high-fat/sugar diet (HFSD, ≥25weeks) and performance of intact isolated cardiomyocytes derived from the same hearts was measured during pacing under non-loaded, loaded and stretched conditions in vitro . Using a calibrated cardiomyocyte stretch protocol, stiffness (stress/strain) was elevated in HFSD cardiomyocytes in vitro and correlated with diastolic dysfunction (E/e') in vivo . The HFSD cardiomyocyte Ca 2+ transient decay was prolonged in response to stretch, and stiffness was accentuated in response to pacing increase while the rise in diastolic Ca 2+ was attenuated. These findings suggest that stretch-dependent augmentation of the myofilament-Ca 2+ response during diastole partially underlies elevated cardiomyocyte stiffness and diastolic dysfunction of hearts of animals with cardiometabolic disease.

ATM deficiency differentially affects expression of proteins related to fatty acid oxidation and oxidative stress in a sex-specific manner in response to Western-type diet prior to and following myocardial infarction

AIMS

Published work has shown that ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase (ATM) deficiency is associated with cardioprotective effects in Western-type diet (WD)-fed female mice. This study assessed the expression of proteins related to fatty acid oxidation (FAO) and oxidative stress in WD-fed male and female mouse hearts, and investigated if sex-specific cardioprotective effects in WD-fed female ATM-deficient mice are maintained following myocardial infarction (MI).

MAIN METHODS

Wild-type (WT) and ATM-deficient (hKO) mice (both sexes) were placed on WD for 14 weeks. Myocardial tissue from a subset of mice was used for western blot analyses, while another subset of WD-fed mice underwent MI. Heart function was analyzed by echocardiography prior to and 1 day post-MI.

KEY FINDINGS

CPT1B (mitochondrial FAO enzyme) expression was lower in male hKO-WD, while it was higher in female hKO-WD vs WT-WD. WD-mediated decrease in ACOX1 (peroxisomal FAO enzyme) expression was only observed in male WT-WD. PMP70 (transports fatty acyl-CoA across peroxisomal membrane) expression was lower in male hKO-WD vs WT-WD. Catalase (antioxidant enzyme) expression was higher, while Nox4 (pro-oxidant enzyme) expression was lower in female hKO-WD vs WT-WD. Heart function was better in female hKO-WD vs WT-WD. However, post-MI heart function was not significantly different among all MI groups. Post-MI, CPT1B and catalase expression was higher in male hKO-WD-MI vs WT-WD-MI, while Nox4 expression was higher in female hKO-WD-MI vs WT-WD-MI.

SIGNIFICANCE

Increased mitochondrial FAO and decreased oxidative stress contribute towards ATM deficiency-mediated cardioprotective effects in WD-fed female mice which are abolished post-MI with increased Nox4 expression.

EGFR/IGF1R Signaling Modulates Relaxation in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

BACKGROUND

Diastolic dysfunction is central to diseases such as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). However, therapies that improve cardiac relaxation are scarce, partly due to a limited understanding of modulators of cardiomyocyte relaxation. We hypothesized that cardiac relaxation is regulated by multiple unidentified proteins and that dysregulation of kinases contributes to impaired relaxation in patients with HCM.

METHODS

We optimized and increased the throughput of unloaded shortening measurements and screened a kinase inhibitor library in isolated adult cardiomyocytes from wild-type mice. One hundred fifty-seven kinase inhibitors were screened. To assess which kinases are dysregulated in patients with HCM and could contribute to impaired relaxation, we performed a tyrosine and global phosphoproteomics screen and integrative inferred kinase activity analysis using HCM patient myocardium. Identified hits from these 2 data sets were validated in cardiomyocytes from a homozygous MYBPC3c.2373insG HCM mouse model.

RESULTS

Screening of 157 kinase inhibitors in wild-type (N=33) cardiomyocytes (n=24 563) resulted in the identification of 17 positive inotropes and 21 positive lusitropes, almost all of them novel. The positive lusitropes formed 3 clusters: cell cycle, EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor)/IGF1R (insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor), and a small Akt (α-serine/threonine protein kinase) signaling cluster. By performing phosphoproteomic profiling of HCM patient myocardium (N=24 HCM and N=8 donors), we demonstrated increased activation of 6 of 8 proteins from the EGFR/IGFR1 cluster in HCM. We validated compounds from this cluster in mouse HCM (N=12) cardiomyocytes (n=2023). Three compounds from this cluster were able to improve relaxation in HCM cardiomyocytes.

CONCLUSIONS

We showed the feasibility of screening for functional modulators of cardiomyocyte relaxation and contraction, parameters that we observed to be modulated by kinases involved in EGFR/IGF1R, Akt, cell cycle signaling, and FoxO (forkhead box class O) signaling, respectively. Integrating the screening data with phosphoproteomics analysis in HCM patient tissue indicated that inhibition of EGFR/IGF1R signaling is a promising target for treating impaired relaxation in HCM.

Deficiency of ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase attenuates Western-type diet-induced cardiac dysfunction in female mice

Chronic consumption of Western-type diet (WD) induces cardiac structural and functional abnormalities. Previously, we have shown that WD consumption in male ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated kinase) deficient mice associates with accelerated body weight (BW) gain, cardiac systolic dysfunction with increased preload, and exacerbation of hypertrophy, apoptosis, and inflammation. This study investigated the role of ATM deficiency in WD-induced changes in functional and biochemical parameters of the heart in female mice. Six-week-old wild-type (WT) and ATM heterozygous knockout (hKO) female mice were placed on WD or NC (normal chow) for 14 weeks. BW gain, fat accumulation, and cardiac functional and biochemical parameters were measured 14 weeks post-WD. WD-induced subcutaneous and total fat contents normalized to body weight were higher in WT-WD versus hKO-WD. Heart function measured using echocardiography revealed decreased percent fractional shortening and ejection fraction, and increased LV end systolic diameter and volume in WT-WD versus WT-NC. These functional parameters remained unchanged in hKO-WD versus hKO-NC. Myocardial fibrosis, myocyte hypertrophy, and apoptosis were higher in WT-WD versus WT-NC. However, apoptosis was significantly lower and hypertrophy was significantly higher in hKO-WD versus WT-WD. MMP-9 and Bax expression, and Akt activation were higher in WT-WD versus WT-NC. PARP-1 (full-length) expression and mTOR activation were lower in WT-WD versus hKO-WD. Thus, ATM deficiency in female mice attenuates fat weight gain, preserves heart function, and associates with decreased cardiac cell apoptosis in response to WD.

Guidelines for in vivo mouse models of myocardial infarction

Despite significant improvements in reperfusion strategies, acute coronary syndromes all too often culminate in a myocardial infarction (MI). The consequent MI can, in turn, lead to remodeling of the left ventricle (LV), the development of LV dysfunction, and ultimately progression to heart failure (HF). Accordingly, an improved understanding of the underlying mechanisms of MI remodeling and progression to HF is necessary. One common approach to examine MI pathology is with murine models that recapitulate components of the clinical context of acute coronary syndrome and subsequent MI. We evaluated the different approaches used to produce MI in mouse models and identified opportunities to consolidate methods, recognizing that reperfused and nonreperfused MI yield different responses. The overall goal in compiling this consensus statement is to unify best practices regarding mouse MI models to improve interpretation and allow comparative examination across studies and laboratories. These guidelines will help to establish rigor and reproducibility and provide increased potential for clinical translation.