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Sessa F, Chisari M, Salerno M, Esposito M, Zuccarello P, Capasso E, Scoto E, Cocimano G. Congenital heart diseases (CHDs) and forensic investigations: Searching for the cause of death. Exp Mol Pathol 2024; 137:104907. [PMID: 38820762 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexmp.2024.104907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2024] [Revised: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/22/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Congenital Heart Diseases (CHDs) are a group of structural abnormalities or defects of the heart that are present at birth. CHDs could be connected to sudden death (SD), defined by the WHO (World Health Organization) as "death occurring within 24 h after the onset of the symptoms" in an apparently "healthy" subject. These conditions can range from relatively mild defects to severe, life-threatening anomalies. The prevalence of CHDs varies across populations, but they affect millions of individuals worldwide. This article aims to discuss the post-mortem investigation of death related to CHDs, exploring the forensic approach, current methodologies, challenges, and potential advancements in this challenging field. A further goal of this article is to provide a guide for understanding these complex diseases, highlighting the pivotal role of autopsy, histopathology, and genetic investigations in defining the cause of death, and providing evidence about the translational use of autopsy reports. Forensic investigations play a crucial role in understanding the complexities of CHDs and determining the cause of death accurately. Through collaboration between medical professionals and forensic experts, meticulous examinations, and analysis of evidence, valuable insights can be gained. These insights not only provide closure to the families affected but also contribute to the prevention of future tragedies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Sessa
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Advanced Technologies "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy.
| | - Mario Chisari
- "Rodolico-San Marco" Hospital, Santa Sofia Street, 87, Catania 95121, Italy.
| | - Monica Salerno
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Advanced Technologies "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy.
| | | | - Pietro Zuccarello
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Advanced Technologies "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy.
| | - Emanuele Capasso
- Department of Advanced Biomedical Science-Legal Medicine Section, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy.
| | - Edmondo Scoto
- Department of Medical, Surgical and Advanced Technologies "G.F. Ingrassia", University of Catania, 95121 Catania, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Cocimano
- Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Campania "Vanvitelli", 80121 Napoli, Italy.
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Zuo JY, Chen HX, Yang Q, He GW. Variants of the promoter of MYH6 gene in congenital isolated and sporadic patent ductus arteriosus: case-control study and cellular functional analyses. Hum Mol Genet 2024; 33:884-893. [PMID: 38340456 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddae021] [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: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 12/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common form of congenital heart disease. The MYH6 gene has important effects on cardiovascular growth and development, but the effect of variants in the MYH6 gene promoter on ductus arteriosus is unknown. DNA was extracted from blood samples of 721 subjects (428 patients with isolated and sporadic PDA and 293 healthy controls) and analyzed by sequencing for MYH6 gene promoter region variants. Cellular function experiments with three cell lines (HEK-293, HL-1, and H9C2 cells) and bioinformatics analyses were performed to verify their effects on gene expression. In the MYH6 gene promoter, 11 variants were identified. Four variants were found only in patients with PDA and 2 of them (g.3434G>C and g.4524C>T) were novel. Electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that the transcription factors bound by the promoter variants were significantly altered in comparison to the wild-type in all three cell lines. Dual luciferase reporter showed that all the 4 variants reduced the transcriptional activity of the MYH6 gene promoter (P < 0.05). Prediction of transcription factors bound by the variants indicated that these variants alter the transcription factor binding sites. These pathological alterations most likely affect the contraction of the smooth muscle of ductus arteriosus, leading to PDA. This study is the first to focus on variants at the promoter region of the MYH6 gene in PDA patients with cellular function tests. Therefore, this study provides new insights to understand the genetic basis and facilitates further studies on the mechanism of PDA formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Yang Zuo
- The Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases & Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital, Tianjin University & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 61, the 3rd Ave, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Regulation of Cardiovascular Diseases and Translational Medicine, No. 61, the 3rd Ave, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Huan-Xin Chen
- The Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases & Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital, Tianjin University & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 61, the 3rd Ave, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Regulation of Cardiovascular Diseases and Translational Medicine, No. 61, the 3rd Ave, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Qin Yang
- The Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases & Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital, Tianjin University & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 61, the 3rd Ave, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Regulation of Cardiovascular Diseases and Translational Medicine, No. 61, the 3rd Ave, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
| | - Guo-Wei He
- The Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases & Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, TEDA International Cardiovascular Hospital, Tianjin University & Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, No. 61, the 3rd Ave, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Molecular Regulation of Cardiovascular Diseases and Translational Medicine, No. 61, the 3rd Ave, TEDA, Tianjin 300457, China
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Lu SHA, Wu YH, Su LY, Hsu ZT, Weng TH, Wang HY, Yu C, Hsu PWC, Tsai SY. Cardiac myofibrillogenesis is spatiotemporally modulated by the molecular chaperone UNC45B. Stem Cell Reports 2023:S2213-6711(23)00184-4. [PMID: 37295424 PMCID: PMC10362501 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.05.006] [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: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Sarcomeres are fundamental to cardiac muscle contraction. Their impairment can elicit cardiomyopathies, leading causes of death worldwide. However, the molecular mechanism underlying sarcomere assembly remains obscure. We used human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) to reveal stepwise spatiotemporal regulation of core cardiac myofibrillogenesis-associated proteins. We found that the molecular chaperone UNC45B is highly co-expressed with KINDLIN2 (KIND2), a marker of protocostameres, and later its distribution overlaps with that of muscle myosin MYH6. UNC45B-knockout CMs display essentially no contractility. Our phenotypic analyses further reveal that (1) binding of Z line anchor protein ACTN2 to protocostameres is perturbed because of impaired protocostamere formation, resulting in ACTN2 accumulation; (2) F-ACTIN polymerization is suppressed; and (3) MYH6 becomes degraded, so it cannot replace non-muscle myosin MYH10. Our mechanistic study demonstrates that UNC45B mediates protocostamere formation by regulating KIND2 expression. Thus, we show that UNC45B modulates cardiac myofibrillogenesis by interacting spatiotemporally with various proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena Huei-An Lu
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsuan Wu
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Liang-Yu Su
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Zi-Ting Hsu
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Tzu-Han Weng
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Yu Wang
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Chiao Yu
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Paul Wei-Che Hsu
- Institute of Molecular and Genomic Medicine, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli County 350, Taiwan
| | - Su-Yi Tsai
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan; Research Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan; Genome and Systems Biology Degree Program, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan.
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Arrigo AB, Zhu W, Williams KA, Guzman-Moreno C, Lo C, Lin JHI. Contribution of LRP1 in Human Congenital Heart Disease Correlates with Its Roles in the Outflow Tract and Atrioventricular Cushion Development. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:genes14040947. [PMID: 37107705 PMCID: PMC10137934 DOI: 10.3390/genes14040947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Due to the prevalence of congenital heart disease in the human population, determining the role of variants in congenital heart disease (CHD) can give a better understanding of the cause of the disorder. A homozygous missense mutation in the LDL receptor-related protein 1 (Lrp1) in mice was shown to cause congenital heart defects, including atrioventricular septal defect (AVSD) and double outlet right ventricle (DORV). Integrative analysis of publicly available single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets and spatial transcriptomics of human and mouse hearts indicated that LRP1 is predominantly expressed in mesenchymal cells and mainly located in the developing outflow tract and atrioventricular cushion. Gene burden analysis of 1922 CHD individuals versus 2602 controls with whole-exome sequencing showed a significant excess of rare damaging LRP1 mutations in CHD (odds ratio (OR) = 2.22, p = 1.92 × 10-4), especially in conotruncal defect with OR of 2.37 (p = 1.77 × 10-3) and atrioventricular septal defect with OR of 3.14 (p = 0.0194). Interestingly, there is a significant relationship between those variants that have an allele frequency below 0.01% and atrioventricular septal defect, which is the phenotype observed previously in a homozygous N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)-induced Lrp1 mutant mouse line.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angelo B Arrigo
- Department of Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 530 45th St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA
| | - Wenjuan Zhu
- Centre for Cardiovascular Genomics and Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
| | - Kylia A Williams
- Department of Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 530 45th St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA
| | - Carla Guzman-Moreno
- Department of Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 530 45th St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA
| | - Cecilia Lo
- Department of Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 530 45th St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA
| | - Jiuann-Huey I Lin
- Department of Developmental Biology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 530 45th St, Pittsburgh, PA 15201, USA
- Department of Critical Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, 4401 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
- UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, 4401 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15224, USA
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