RESUMO
Background: In cardiac muscle, the ubiquitously expressed proteoglycan syndecan-4 is involved in the hypertrophic response to pressure overload. Protein kinase Akt signaling, which is known to regulate hypertrophy, has been found to be reduced in the cardiac muscle of exercised male syndecan-4-/- mice. In contrast, we have recently found that pSer473-Akt signaling is elevated in the skeletal muscle (tibialis anterior, TA) of female syndecan-4-/- mice. To determine if the differences seen in Akt signaling are sex specific, we have presently investigated Akt signaling in the cardiac muscle of sedentary and exercised female syndecan-4-/- mice. To get deeper insight into the female syndecan-4-/- heart, alterations in cardiomyocyte size, a wide variety of different extracellular matrix components, well-known syndecan-4 binding partners and associated signaling pathways have also been investigated. Methods: Left ventricles (LVs) from sedentary and exercise trained female syndecan-4-/- and WT mice were analyzed by immunoblotting and real-time PCR. Cardiomyocyte size and phosphorylated Ser473-Akt were analyzed in isolated adult cardiomyocytes from female syndecan-4-/- and WT mice by confocal imaging. LV and skeletal muscle (TA) from sedentary male syndecan-4-/- and WT mice were immunoblotted with Akt antibodies for comparison. Glucose levels were measured by a glucometer, and fasting blood serum insulin and C-peptide levels were measured by ELISA. Results: Compared to female WT hearts, sedentary female syndecan-4-/- LV cardiomyocytes were smaller and hearts had higher levels of pSer473-Akt and its downstream target pSer9-GSK-3ß. The pSer473-Akt inhibitory phosphatase PHLPP1/SCOP was lowered, which may be in response to the elevated serum insulin levels found in the female syndecan-4-/- mice. We also observed lowered levels of pThr308-Akt/Akt and GLUT4 in the female syndecan-4-/- heart and an increased LRP6 level after exercise. Otherwise, few alterations were found. The pThr308-Akt and pSer473-Akt levels were unaltered in the cardiac and skeletal muscles of sedentary male syndecan-4-/- mice. Conclusion: Our data indicate smaller cardiomyocytes, an elevated insulin/pSer473-Akt/pSer9-GSK-3ß signaling pathway, and lowered SCOP, pThr308-Akt/Akt and GLUT4 levels in the female syndecan-4-/- heart. In contrast, cardiomyocyte size, and Akt signaling were unaltered in both cardiac and skeletal muscles from male syndecan-4-/- mice, suggesting important sex differences.
RESUMO
Pathological myocardial hypertrophy in response to an increase in left ventricular (LV) afterload may ultimately lead to heart failure. Cell surface receptors bridge the interface between the cell and the extracellular matrix (ECM) in cardiac myocytes and cardiac fibroblasts and have been suggested to be important mediators of pathological myocardial hypertrophy. We identify for the first time that integrin α11 (α11) is preferentially upregulated among integrin ß1 heterodimer-forming α-subunits in response to increased afterload induced by aortic banding (AB) in wild-type (WT) mice. Mice were anesthetized in a chamber with 4% isoflurane and 95% oxygen before being intubated and ventilated with 2.5% isoflurane and 97% oxygen. For pre- and postoperative analgesia, animals were administered 0.02-mL buprenorphine (0.3 mg/mL) subcutaneously. Surprisingly, mice lacking α11 develop myocardial hypertrophy following AB comparable to WT. In the mice lacking α11, we further show a compensatory increase in the expression of another mechanoreceptor, syndecan-4, following AB compared with WT AB mice, indicating that syndecan-4 compensated for lack of α11. Intriguingly, mice lacking mechanoreceptors α11 and syndecan-4 show ablated myocardial hypertrophy following AB compared with WT mice. Expression of the main cardiac collagen isoforms col1a2 and col3a1 was significantly reduced in AB mice lacking mechanoreceptors α11 and syndecan-4 compared with WT AB.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Despite their putative importance in stress sensing, the specific integrin α-subunit(s) involved in cardiac hypertrophy has not been identified. Here, we show that α11 and syndecan-4 are critical and interdependent mediators of the hypertrophic response to increased LV afterload. We demonstrate in cells lacking both receptors an interdependent reduction in cell attachment to the major cardiac extracellular matrix components, suggesting that their interplay represents an important mechanism for stress sensing in cardiac cells.
