A comprehensive genetic study on left atrium size in Caribbean Hispanics identifies potential candidate genes in 17p10

Association between PNPLA3 rs738409 G variant and MRI cerebrovascular disease biomarkers

INTRODUCTION

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been associated with greater cerebral white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume and microbleeds. The adiponutrin (PNPLA3) rs738409 G variant, a robust NAFLD susceptibility variant, has been variably associated with carotid atherosclerosis. We hypothesized that this variant is associated with WMH volume, microbleeds, covert brain infarction (CBI), and small perivascular spaces.

METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the Northern Manhattan Study-MRI Substudy. The associations between the rs738409 G variant allele and outcomes were assessed using linear regression for WMH volume, logistic regression for microbleeds and CBI, and Poisson regression for small perivascular spaces. Models were adjusted for age, sex, principal components, diabetes, and body mass index.

RESULTS

We included 1063 Northern Manhattan Study participants who had brain MRI and genotype data available (mean age 70 ± 9 years, 61% women). The G allele frequency was 24%. The prevalence of any microbleeds and CBI were 8% and 18%, respectively. The median WMH volume and small perivascular space count score were 7.7 mL and 6, respectively. GG homozygosity, but not heterozygosity, was associated with WMH volume (β = 0.27; 95% CI, 0.03, 0.51) compared to non-carriers. Having at least one G allele was associated with the presence of microbleeds (Odds ratio, 1.78; 95% CI, 1.02, 3.12); the association was attenuated in other models. No associations were observed for CBI and small perivascular spaces.

CONCLUSION

The PNPLA3 rs738409 G allele was associated with greater WMH volume, and inconsistent associations with microbleeds were seen.

MKL-1 is a coactivator for STAT5b, the regulator of Treg cell development and function

Background

Foxp3⁺CD4⁺ regulatory T cells (Treg) constitutes a key event in autoimmune diseases. STAT5b is the critical link between the IL-2/15 and FOXP3, the master regulator of Treg cells.

Methods

The CD3⁺T cell and Foxp3⁺CD4⁺ regulatory T cells were overexpressioned or knockdown MKL-1 and STAT5a and tested for Treg cell development and function. Direct interaction of MKL-1 and STAT5a were analyzed by coimmunoprecipitation assays, Luciferase assay, Immunofluoresence Staining and Yeast two-hybrid screening. The effect of MKL-1 and STAT5a on the Treg genes expression was analyzed by qPCR and western blotting and Flow cytometry.

Results

However, the molecular mechanisms mediating STAT5b-dependent Treg genes expression and Treg cell phenotype and function in autoimmune diseases are not well defined. Here, we report that the MKL-1 is a coactivator for the major Treg genes transcription factor STAT5b, which is required for human Treg cell phenotype and function. The N terminus of STAT5b, which contains a basic coiled-coil protein–protein interaction domain, binds the C-terminal activation domain of MKL-1 and enhances MKL-1 mediated transcriptional activation of Treg-specific, CArG containing promoters, including the Treg-specific genes Foxp3. Suppression of endogenous STAT5b expression by specific small interfering RNA attenuates MKL-1 transcriptional activation in cultured human cells. The STAT5b–MKL-1 interaction identifies a role of Treg-specific gene regulation and regulated mouse Treg cell development and function and suggests a possible mechanism for the protective effects of autoimmune disease Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP).

Conclusions

Our studies demonstrate for the first time that MKL-1 is a coactivator for STAT5b, the regulator of Treg cell development and function.

GWAS of QRS duration identifies new loci specific to Hispanic/Latino populations

BACKGROUND

The electrocardiographically quantified QRS duration measures ventricular depolarization and conduction. QRS prolongation has been associated with poor heart failure prognosis and cardiovascular mortality, including sudden death. While previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 32 QRS SNPs across 26 loci among European, African, and Asian-descent populations, the genetics of QRS among Hispanics/Latinos has not been previously explored.

METHODS

We performed a GWAS of QRS duration among Hispanic/Latino ancestry populations (n = 15,124) from four studies using 1000 Genomes imputed genotype data (adjusted for age, sex, global ancestry, clinical and study-specific covariates). Study-specific results were combined using fixed-effects, inverse variance-weighted meta-analysis.

RESULTS

We identified six loci associated with QRS (P<5x10-8), including two novel loci: MYOCD, a nuclear protein expressed in the heart, and SYT1, an integral membrane protein. The top SNP in the MYOCD locus, intronic SNP rs16946539, was found in Hispanics/Latinos with a minor allele frequency (MAF) of 0.04, but is monomorphic in European and African descent populations. The most significant QRS duration association was with intronic SNP rs3922344 (P = 1.19x10-24) in SCN5A/SCN10A. Three other previously identified loci, CDKN1A, VTI1A, and HAND1, also exceeded the GWAS significance threshold among Hispanics/Latinos. A total of 27 of 32 previously identified QRS duration SNPs were shown to generalize in Hispanics/Latinos.

CONCLUSIONS

Our QRS duration GWAS, the first in Hispanic/Latino populations, identified two new loci, underscoring the utility of extending large scale genomic studies to currently under-examined populations.

Normal percentile curves for left atrial size in healthy children and adolescents

BACKGROUND

Despite the clinical utility of echocardiography to measure left atrial (LA) structure and function, there are scarcities of data about the percentiles of LA diameter (LA_D ), LA volume (LA_VOL ), and LA volume indexed by body surface area (LA_{VOL / BSA} ) from prospective population-based studies in healthy children and adolescents from the Southern Cone of Latin America.

METHODS

Echocardiographic studies were obtained in 1095 healthy subjects nonexposed to cardiovascular risk factors (5-24 years). Age- and sex-specific reference values of LA_D , LA_VOL , and LA_{VOL / BSA} were generated using parametric regression based on fractional polynomials.

RESULTS

After covariate analysis (ie, adjusting by age, body surface area), specific sex-specific percentiles were evidenced as necessaries. Age- and sex-specific 1st, 2.5th, 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, 95th, 97.5th, and 99th percentile and curves were reported. Our percentiles showed high concordance and complementarity with what was previously reported for the population of North American, European, and Asiatic Populations.

CONCLUSIONS

In children and adolescents, the interpretation of the LA size requires sex-related percentiles. This study provides the largest Argentinean database concerning percentile curves of LA_D , LA_VOL , and LA_{VOL / BSA} obtained in healthy children and adolescents. These data are valuable in that they provide values with which data of populations of children, adolescents, and young adults can be compared.

Clinical correlates and heritability of cardiac mechanics: The HyperGEN study

BACKGROUND

Indices of cardiac mechanics are sensitive markers of subclinical myocardial dysfunction. Improved understanding of the clinical correlates and heritability of cardiac mechanics could result in novel insight into the acquired and genetic risk factors for myocardial dysfunction. Therefore, we sought to determine the clinical correlates and heritability of indices of cardiac mechanics in whites and African Americans (AAs).

METHODS

We examined 2058 participants stratified by race (1104 whites, 954 AA) in the Hypertension Genetic Epidemiology Network (HyperGEN), a population- and family-based study, and performed digitization of analog echocardiograms with subsequent speckle-tracking analysis. We used linear mixed effects models to determine the clinical correlates of indices of cardiac mechanics (longitudinal, circumferential, radial strain; early diastolic strain rate; and early diastolic tissue velocities). Heritability estimates for cardiac mechanics were calculated using maximum-likelihood variance component analyses in Sequential Oligogenic Linkage Analysis Routine (SOLAR), with adjustment for clinical and echocardiographic covariates.

RESULTS

Several clinical characteristics and conventional echocardiographic parameters were found to be associated with speckle-tracking traits of cardiac mechanics. Male sex, blood pressure, and fasting glucose were associated with worse longitudinal strain (LS) (P < 0.05 for all) after multivariable adjustment. After adjustment for covariates, LS, e' velocity, and early diastolic strain rate were found to be heritable; LS and e' velocity had higher heritability estimates in AAs compared to whites.

CONCLUSIONS

Indices of cardiac mechanics are heritable traits even after adjustment for clinical and conventional echocardiographic correlates. These findings provide the basis for future studies of genetic determinants of these traits that may elucidate race-based differences in heart failure development.

Giant left atrium with left lung damage: a case report

Giant left atrium is most commonly associated with rheumatic mitral valve disease, causing a series of cardiac and extracardiac complications. Cardiac complications are often reported, such as atrial fibrillation, decreased cardiac output, and atrial thrombus formation. Extracardiac complications are rarely described in the literature. We report an unusual case of a 55-year-old woman who was diagnosed with rheumatic heart disease 20 years earlier. Her chief complaints were episodes of chest tightness and difficulty breathing, which she had for more than 30 years. Echocardiography showed severe mitral stenosis with severe mitral insufficiency. Contrast-enhanced chest CT showed that the left thoracic cavity was occupied by a giant left atrium. The left main bronchus was compressed, and the left lung showed complete consolidation without pulmonary function.

Uromodulin associates with cardiorenal function in patients with hypertension and cardiovascular disease

OBJECTIVE

Common genetic variants in the gene encoding uromodulin (UMOD) have been associated with renal function, blood pressure (BP) and hypertension. We investigated the associations between an important single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in UMOD, that is rs12917707-G>T, and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), BP and cardiac organ damage as determined by echocardiography in patients with arterial hypertension.

METHODS

A cohort of 1218 treated high-risk patients (mean age 58.5 years, 83% men) with documented cardiovascular disease (81% with coronary heart disease) was analysed.

RESULTS

The mean values for 24-h SBP and DBP were 124.7 ± 14.7 and 73.9 ± 9.4 mmHg; mean eGFR was 77.5 ± 18.3 ml/min per 1.73 m, mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 59.3 ± 9.9% and mean left ventricular mass index in men and women was 53.9 ± 23.2 and 54.9 ± 23.7 g/m with 50.4% of patients having left ventricular hypertrophy. A significant association between rs12917707 and eGFR was observed with T-allele carriers showing significantly higher eGFR values (+2.6 ml/min per 1.73 m, P = 0.006) than noncarriers. This SNP associated also with left atrial diameter (P = 0.007); homozygous carriers of the T-allele had smaller left atrial diameter (-1.5 mm) than other genotype groups (P = 0.040). No significant associations between rs12917707 and other cardiac or BP phenotypes were observed.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings extend the previously documented role of UMOD for renal function also to treated high-risk patients with arterial hypertension and reveal a novel association with left atrial remodelling and thus a potential cardiorenal link modulated by UMOD.

Associates and Prognosis of Giant Left Atrium; Single Center Experience

Background

Left atrial (LA) remodeling develops as a result of longstanding pressure overload. However, determinants and clinical outcome of excessive remodeling, so called giant left atrium (GLA), are not clear.

Methods

Clinical characteristics of patients with GLA (antero-posterior diameter higher than 65 mm), including echo-Doppler parameters, and follow-up clinical outcomes from a tertiary referral hospital were investigated.

Results

Among 68519 consecutive primary patients who underwent echocardiography over a period of 10 years, data from 163 GLA cases (0.24%) were analyzed. Main causes were significant rheumatic mitral stenosis (n = 58, 36%); other causes comprised significant rheumatic mitral regurgitation (MR; n = 10, 6%), mitral valve (MV) prolapse or congenital mitral valvular disease (MVD) (n = 20, 12%), and functional MR (n = 25, 15%). However, mild rheumatic MV disease (n = 4, 3%) or left ventricular (LV) systolic or diastolic dysfunction without significant MR (n = 46, 28%) were also causes of GLA. During median follow-up of 22 months, 42 cases (26%) underwent composite events. MV surgery was related to lower rate of composite events. In multivariate analysis, MV surgery, elevated pulmonary arterial systolic pressure, and increased LA volume index were independent predictors of future events (p < 0.05) regardless of underlying diseases or history of MV surgery.

Conclusion

Although rheumatic MVD with atrial fibrillation is the main contributor to GLA, longstanding atrial fibrillation with LV dysfunction but without MVD also could be related to GLA. Even in GLA state, accurate measurement of LA volume is crucial for risk stratification for future events, regardless of underlying disease.

Factors Associated With Left Atrial Remodeling in the General Population

BACKGROUND

Although contributors to remodeling of the left ventricle (LV) have been well studied in general population cohorts, few data are available describing factors influencing changes in left atrial (LA) structure.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Maximum LA volume was determined by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging among 748 participants in the Dallas Heart Study at 2 visits a mean of 8 years apart. Associations of changes in LA volume (ΔLAV) with traditional risk factors, biomarkers, LV geometry, and remodeling by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and detailed measurements of global and regional adiposity (by magnetic resonance imaging and dual-energy x ray absorptiometry) were assessed using multivariable linear regression. Greater ΔLAV was independently associated with black and Hispanic race/ethnicity, change in systolic blood pressure, LV mass and ΔLV mass, N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide and change in N-terminal probrain natriuretic peptide, and body mass index (P<0.05 for each). In subanalyses, the associations of ΔLAV with LV mass parameters were driven by associations with baseline and ΔLV end diastolic volume (P<0.0001 for each) and not wall thickness (P=0.21). Associations of ΔLAV with body mass index were explained exclusively by associations with visceral fat mass (P=0.002), with no association seen between ΔLAV and subcutaneous abdominal fat (P=0.47) or lower body fat (P=0.30).

CONCLUSIONS

Left atrial dilatation in the population is more common in black and Hispanic than in white individuals and is associated with parallel changes in the LV. LA dilatation may be mediated by blood pressure control and the development of visceral adiposity.

A MicroRNA-Transcription Factor Blueprint for Early Atrial Arrhythmogenic Remodeling

Spontaneous self-terminating atrial fibrillation (AF) is one of the most common heart rhythm disorders, yet the regulatory molecular mechanisms underlying this syndrome are rather unclear. MicroRNA (miRNA) transcriptome and expression of candidate transcription factors (TFs) with potential roles in arrhythmogenesis, such as Pitx2, Tbx5, and myocardin (Myocd), were analyzed by microarray, qRT-PCR, and Western blotting in left atrial (LA) samples from pigs with transitory AF established by right atrial tachypacing. Induced ectopic tachyarrhythmia caused rapid and substantial miRNA remodeling associated with a marked downregulation of Pitx2, Tbx5, and Myocd expression in atrial myocardium. The downregulation of Pitx2, Tbx5, and Myocd was inversely correlated with upregulation of the corresponding targeting miRNAs (miR-21, miR-10a/10b, and miR-1, resp.) in the LA of paced animals. Through in vitro transient transfections of HL-1 atrial myocytes, we further showed that upregulation of miR-21 did result in downregulation of Pitx2 in cardiomyocyte background. The results suggest that immediate-early miRNA remodeling coupled with deregulation of TF expression underlies the onset of AF.

Left atrial size is independently associated with cognitive function

Left atrial (LA) diameter is easily attainable from echocardiograph and sensitive to underlying cardiovascular disease severity, although its association with neurocognitive outcomes is not well understood. Fifty older adults (64.50 ± 9.41 years), recruited from outpatient cardiology clinics and local papers who underwent magnetic resonance imaging, were administered the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS), and completed psychosocial self-report measures. LA diameter was quantified using echocardiogram. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that greater LA size was independently associated with reduced performance on the following RBANS composites: language, delayed memory, and total index (p < 0.05 for all). Hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated no significant association between LA diameter and whole brain volume (p > 0.05). The current study suggests that greater LA size is associated with cognitive dysfunction in older adults and prospective studies are needed to validate these findings and elucidate underlying mechanisms.