Optimization of Fluorescent Labeling for In Vivo Nanoimaging of Sarcomeres in the Mouse Heart

Cardiomyocyte sarcomere length variability: Membrane fluorescence versus second harmonic generation myosin imaging

Sarcomere length (SL) and its variation along the myofibril strongly regulate integrated coordinated myocyte contraction. It is therefore important to obtain individual SL properties. Optical imaging by confocal fluorescence (for example, using ANEPPS) or transmitted light microscopy is often used for this purpose. However, this allows for the visualization of structures related to Z-disks only. In contrast, second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy visualizes A-band sarcomeric structures directly. Here, we compared averaged SL and its variability in isolated relaxed rat cardiomyocytes by imaging with ANEPPS and SHG. We found that SL variability, evaluated by several absolute and relative measures, is two times smaller using SHG vs. ANEPPS, while both optical methods give the same average (median) SL. We conclude that optical methods with similar optical spatial resolution provide valid estimations of average SL, but the use of SHG microscopy for visualization of sarcomeric A-bands may be the "gold standard" for evaluation of SL variability due to the absence of optical interference between the sarcomere center and non-sarcomeric structures. This contrasts with sarcomere edges where t-tubules may not consistently colocalize to Z-disks. The use of SHG microscopy instead of fluorescent imaging can be a prospective tool to map sarcomere variability both in vitro and in vivo conditions and to reveal its role in the functional behavior of living myocardium.

Contractile State Dependent Sarcomere Length Variability in Isolated Guinea-Pig Cardiomyocytes

Cardiomyocytes contract keeping their sarcomere length (SL) close to optimal values for force generation. Transmural heterogeneity in SL across the ventricular wall coordinates the contractility of the whole-ventricle. SL heterogeneity (variability) exists not only at the tissue (macroscale) level, but also presents at the level of a single cardiomyocyte (microscale level). However, transmural differences in intracellular SL variability and its possible dependence on the state of contraction (e.g. end-diastole or end-systole) have not been previously reported. In the present study, we studied three aspects of sarcomere-to-sarcomere variability in intact cardiomyocytes isolated from the left ventricle of healthy guinea-pig: 1) transmural differences in SL distribution between subepi- (EPI) and subendocardial (ENDO) cardiomyocytes; 2) the dependence of intracellular variability in SL upon the state of contraction; 3) local differences in SL variability, comparing SL distributions between central and peripheral regions within the cardiomyocyte. To characterize the intracellular variability of SL, we used different normality tests for the assessment of SL distributions, as well as nonparametric coefficients to quantify the variability. We found that individual SL values in the end-systolic state of contraction followed a normal distribution to a lesser extent as compared to the end-diastolic state of contraction (∼1.3-fold and ∼1.6-fold in ENDO and EPI, respectively). The relative and absolute coefficients of sarcomere-to-sarcomere variability in end-systolic SL were significantly greater (∼1.3-fold) as compared to end-diastolic SL. This was independent of both the transmural region across the left ventricle and the intracellular region within the cardiomyocyte. We conclude that the intracellular variability in SL, which exists in normal intact guinea-pig cardiomyocytes, is affected by the contractile state of the myocyte. This phenomenon may play a role in inter-sarcomere communication in the beating heart.

Synchrony of sarcomeric movement regulates left ventricular pump function in the in vivo beating mouse heart

Sarcomeric contraction in cardiomyocytes serves as the basis for the heart's pump functions. It has generally been considered that in cardiac muscle as well as in skeletal muscle, sarcomeres equally contribute to myofibrillar dynamics in myocytes at varying loads by producing similar levels of active and passive force. In the present study, we expressed α-actinin-AcGFP in Z-disks to analyze dynamic behaviors of sequentially connected individual sarcomeres along a myofibril in a left ventricular (LV) myocyte of the in vivo beating mouse heart. To quantify the magnitude of the contribution of individual sarcomeres to myofibrillar dynamics, we introduced the novel parameter "contribution index" (CI) to measure the synchrony in movements between a sarcomere and a myofibril (from -1 [complete asynchrony] to 1 [complete synchrony]). First, CI varied markedly between sarcomeres, with an average value of ∼0.3 during normal systole. Second, when the movements between adjacent sarcomeres were asynchronous (CI < 0), a sarcomere and the ones next to the adjacent sarcomeres and farther away moved in synchrony (CI > 0) along a myofibril. Third, when difference in LV pressure in diastole and systole (ΔLVP) was lowered to <10 mm Hg, diastolic sarcomere length increased. Under depressed conditions, the movements between adjacent sarcomeres were in marked asynchrony (CI, -0.3 to -0.4), and, as a result, average CI was linearly decreased in association with a decrease in ΔLVP. These findings suggest that in the left ventricle of the in vivo beating mouse heart, (1) sarcomeres heterogeneously contribute to myofibrillar dynamics due to an imbalance of active and passive force between neighboring sarcomeres, (2) the force imbalance is pronounced under depressed conditions coupled with a marked increase in passive force and the ensuing tug-of-war between sarcomeres, and (3) sarcomere synchrony via the distal intersarcomere interaction regulates the heart's pump function in coordination with myofibrillar contractility.

Real-Time In Vivo Imaging of Mouse Left Ventricle Reveals Fluctuating Movements of the Intercalated Discs

Myocardial contraction is initiated by action potential propagation through the conduction system of the heart. It has been thought that connexin 43 in the gap junctions (GJ) within the intercalated disc (ID) provides direct electric connectivity between cardiomyocytes (electronic conduction). However, recent studies challenge this view by providing evidence that the mechanosensitive cardiac sodium channels Na_v1.5 localized in perinexii at the GJ edge play an important role in spreading action potentials between neighboring cells (ephaptic conduction). In the present study, we performed real-time confocal imaging of the CellMask-stained ID in the living mouse heart in vivo. We found that the ID structure was not rigid. Instead, we observed marked flexing of the ID during propagation of contraction from cell to cell. The variation in ID length was between ~30 and ~42 μm (i.e., magnitude of change, ~30%). In contrast, tracking of α-actinin-AcGFP revealed a comparatively small change in the lateral dimension of the transitional junction near the ID (i.e., magnitude of change, ~20%). The present findings suggest that, when the heart is at work, mechanostress across the perinexii may activate Na_v1.5 by promoting ephaptic conduction in coordination with electronic conduction, and, thereby, efficiently transmitting excitation-contraction coupling between cardiomyocytes.