A genome resource to address mechanisms of developmental programming: determination of the fetal sheep heart transcriptome.

The pregnant sheep has provided seminal insights into reproduction related to animal and human development (ovarian function, fertility, implantation, fetal growth, parturition and lactation). Fetal sheep physiology has been extensively studied since 1950, contributing significantly to the basis for our understanding of many aspects of fetal development and behaviour that remain in use in clinical practice today. Understanding mechanisms requires the combination of systems approaches uniquely available in fetal sheep with the power of genomic studies. Absence of the full range of sheep genomic resources has limited the full realization of the power of this model, impeding progress in emerging areas of pregnancy biology such as developmental programming. We have examined the expressed fetal sheep heart transcriptome using high-throughput sequencing technologies. In so doing we identified 36,737 novel transcripts and describe genes, gene variants and pathways relevant to fundamental developmental mechanisms. Genes with the highest expression levels and with novel exons in the fetal heart transcriptome are known to play central roles in muscle development. We show that high-throughput sequencing methods can generate extensive transcriptome information in the absence of an assembled and annotated genome for that species. The gene sequence data obtained provide a unique genomic resource for sheep specific genetic technology development and, combined with the polymorphism data, augment annotation and assembly of the sheep genome. In addition, identification and pathway analysis of novel fetal sheep heart transcriptome splice variants is a first step towards revealing mechanisms of genetic variation and gene environment interactions during fetal heart development.

Myocardial localization and isoforms of neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) in the developing and transplanted human heart.

Neural cell adhesion molecule (N-CAM) has been implicated in cellular interactions involved in cardiac morphogenesis and innervation. Immunohistochemical techniques and Western blot analysis were used to determine the localization and isoforms of N-CAM in the developing and extrinsically denervated human heart. Myocardial and conducting cells in the fetal heart (7-24 wk gestation) exhibited sarcolemmal immunoreactivity, the major desialo N-CAM isoforms being 150, 145, 120, 115, and 110 kD. N-CAM expression appeared to be downregulated in the myocardium during adult life, with relatively little sarcolemmal immunoreactivity being detected in normal donor tissues. In contrast to the temporal changes observed in the myocardium, both the developing and mature cardiac innervation displayed N-CAM immunofluorescence staining, localized to neuronal cell bodies, nerve fascicles and fibres. Extrinsically denervated cardiac allografts, obtained 2 d to 91 mo after transplantation, showed extensive sarcolemmal and intercalated disc immunostaining and expression of 125-, 120-, and 115-kD isoforms. Tissues from explanted recipient hearts and atrial appendage samples obtained during coronary bypass graft operations were also examined and displayed varying amounts of N-CAM immunoreactivity. We conclude that the expression of N-CAM immunoreactivity and isoforms in the human heart is developmentally regulated and may be modulated by factors such as cardiac innervation and myocardial hypertrophy.

Identification of the t-type calcium channel (Ca(v)3.1d) in developing mouse heart.

During cardiac development, there is a reciprocal relationship between cardiac morphogenesis and force production (contractility). In the early embryonic myocardium, the sarcoplasmic reticulum is poorly developed, and plasma membrane calcium (Ca(2+)) channels are critical for maintaining both contractility and excitability. In the present study, we identified the Ca(V)3.1d mRNA expressed in embryonic day 14 (E14) mouse heart. Ca(V)3.1d is a splice variant of the alpha1G, T-type Ca(2+) channel. Immunohistochemical localization showed expression of alpha1G Ca(2+) channels in E14 myocardium, and staining of isolated ventricular myocytes revealed membrane localization of the alpha1G channels. Dihydropyridine-resistant inward Ba(2+) or Ca(2+) currents were present in all fetal ventricular myocytes tested. Regardless of charge carrier, inward current inactivated with sustained depolarization and mirrored steady-state inactivation voltage dependence of the alpha1G channel expressed in human embryonic kidney-293 cells. Ni(2+) blockade discriminates among T-type Ca(2+) channel isoforms and is a relatively selective blocker of T-type channels over other cardiac plasma membrane Ca(2+) handling proteins. We demonstrate that 100 micromol/L Ni(2+) partially blocked alpha1G currents under physiological external Ca(2+). We conclude that alpha1G T-type Ca(2+) channels are functional in midgestational fetal myocardium.

Three-dimensional scaffolds of fetal decellularized hearts exhibit enhanced potential to support cardiac cells in comparison to the adult.

A main challenge in cardiac tissue engineering is the limited data on microenvironmental cues that sustain survival, proliferation and functional proficiency of cardiac cells. The aim of our study was to evaluate the potential of fetal (E18) and adult myocardial extracellular matrix (ECM) to support cardiac cells. Acellular three-dimensional (3D) bioscaffolds were obtained by parallel decellularization of fetal- and adult-heart explants thereby ensuring reliable comparison. Acellular scaffolds retained main constituents of the cardiac ECM including distinctive biochemical and structural meshwork features of the native equivalents. In vitro, fetal and adult ECM-matrices supported 3D culture of heart-derived Sca-1(+) progenitors and of neonatal cardiomyocytes, which migrated toward the center of the scaffold and displayed elongated morphology and excellent viability. At the culture end-point, more Sca-1(+) cells and cardiomyocytes were found adhered and inside fetal bioscaffolds, compared to the adult. Higher repopulation yields of Sca-1(+) cells on fetal ECM relied on ß1-integrin independent mitogenic signals. Sca-1(+) cells on fetal bioscaffolds showed a gene expression profile that anticipates the synthesis of a permissive microenvironment for cardiomyogenesis. Our findings demonstrate the superior potential of the 3D fetal microenvironment to support and instruct cardiac cells. This knowledge should be integrated in the design of next-generation biomimetic materials for heart repair.

A comparative study of the expression patterns for vegf, vegf-b/vrf and vegf-c in the developing and adult mouse.

With the goal of better understanding the function and regulation of the different members of the VEGF family this study reports mapping of vegf, vegf-b and vegf-c mRNA expression in developing and adult mice. On embryonic day 14 (E14) there is a high expression of vegf and vegf-b, vegf-b being exceptionally high in heart and CNS. The vegf-c expression is lower with distinct signals in CNS and heart. Prior to birth (E17), vegf and vegf-b expression is moderately downregulated. Overlapping expression is present in intrascapular fat and heart. vegf dominates in thyroid and lung, while vegf-b appears to be the only VEGF member expressed at detectable levels in the CNS. In young adult mouse vegf and vegf-b show partly overlapping expression patterns particularly in kidney, heart and in the thymus, vegf displays higher levels in lung and liver, vegf-b appears to be dominating in brain, heart, testis and kidney. In brain the highest levels of vegf-b is present in the hippocampus. No vegf-c mRNA expression could be detected in the adult. Taken together, these results illustrate, in detail, the different regulations of the members of the VEGF gene family. There are at present at least three specific effectors of vascular proliferation with clear differences in their expression.

Endothelial growth factor receptors in human fetal heart.

BACKGROUND: Endothelial receptor tyrosine kinases include 3 members of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) family and 2 members of the angiopoietin receptor (Tie) family. In addition, the VEGF(165) isoform binds to neuropilin-1 (NP-1), a receptor for collapsins/semaphorins. The importance of these receptors for vasculogenesis and angiogenesis has been shown in gene-targeted mice, but so far, little is known about their exact expression patterns in the human vasculature. METHODS AND RESULTS: Frozen sections of human fetal heart were stained immunohistochemically with receptor-specific monoclonal (VEGFR, Tie) or polyclonal (NP-1) antibodies. The following patterns were observed: The endocardium was positive for VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, NP-1, Tie-1, and Tie-2 but negative for VEGFR-3. The coronary vessels were positive for Tie-1, Tie-2, VEGFR-1, and NP-1 and negative for VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3. Myocardial capillaries and epicardial blood vessels stained for VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, NP-1, and Tie-1; myocardial capillaries and epicardial veins weakly for Tie-2; and epicardial lymphatic vessels for VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3, weakly for Tie-1 and Tie-2, but not for VEGFR-1 or NP-1. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate differential expression of the endothelial growth factor receptors in distinct types of vessels in the human heart. This information is useful for the understanding of their roles in physiological and pathological processes and for their diagnostic and therapeutic application in cardiovascular medicine.

Normal distribution of melanocytes in the mouse heart.

We report the consistent distribution of a population of pigmented trp-1-positive cells in several important septal and valvular structures of the normal mouse (C57BL/6) heart. The pigmented cell population was first apparent by E16.5 p.c. in the right atrial wall and extended into the atrium along the interatrial septum. By E17.5, these cells were found along the apical membranous interventricular septum near or below the surface of the endocardium. The most striking distribution of dark pigmented cells was found in the tricuspid and mitral valvular leaflets and chordae tendineae. The normal distribution of pigmented cells in the valvuloseptal apparatus of C57BL/6 adult heart suggests that a premelanocytic lineage may participate in the earlier morphogenesis of the valve leaflets and chordae tendineae. The origin of the premelanocyte lineage is currently unknown. The most likely candidate populations include the neural crest and the epicardially derived cells. The only cell type in the heart previously shown to form melanocytes is the neural crest. The presence of neural crest cells, but not melanocytes, in some of the regions we describe has been reported by others. However, previous reports have not shown a contribution of melanocytes or neural crest derivatives to the atrioventricular valve leaflets or chordae tendineae in mouse hearts. If these cells are of neural crest origin, it would suggest a possibly greater contribution and persistence of neural crest cells to the valvuloseptal apparatus than has been previously understood.

Characterization of cardiotin, a structural component in the myocard.

The characterization and subcellular distribution of cardiotin, a structural component of striated muscle, is described using a monoclonal antibody. This high molecular mass component (> 300 kDa) is expressed in the myocard of several species and to a lesser extent also in skeletal muscle. Cardiotin is not found in smooth muscle tissues, other mesenchymal or epithelial tissues. The cardiotin distribution pattern is independent of other sarcomeric components, such as desmin, myosin, actin, titin, nebulin, and desmoplakin, and shows a longitudinal filamentous localization between myofibrils. The average distance between parallel running cardiotin filaments is approximately 2.3 microns, as concluded from confocal scanning laser microscopic analysis of double-immunolabeled muscle preparations. The cardiotin filamentous staining reaction is oriented perpendicularly to the typical cross-striations observed with antibodies to desmin, spanning several sarcomeres and showing a length between 12 to 80 microns in frozen sections. Its localization pattern suggests a possible link with the sarcoplasmic reticulum. We have never observed cardiotin filaments to cross the intercalated disks, stained by antibodies to desmoplakins or desmin. Cardiotin cannot be solubilized from cardiac muscle by nonionic detergents of high concentrations of KCl or KI, suggesting a structural role in the myocard. The protein could so far not be detected in developing embryonic heart, but expression seems to be initiated after birth, depending on the species examined.

Immunochemical and electrophysiological characterization of murine connexin40 and -43 in mouse tissues and transfected human cells.

Human HeLa or SkHep1 cells, defective in intercellular communication through gap junctions, were transfected with coding sequences of murine connexin40 (Cx40) and -43. The transfected cells were restored in gap junctional coupling as shown by 100-fold increased electrical conductance. When studied by the double whole-cell patch-clamp technique, Cx40 HeLa transfectants exhibited single channel conductances of gamma = 121 +/- 7 pS and gamma = 153 +/- 5 pS. They were voltage gated with an equivalent gating charge of z = 4.0 +/- 0.5 for a voltage of half-maximal inactivation U0 = 44 +/- 7 mV. The corresponding values of connexin43 (Cx43) HeLa transfectants are: gamma = 60 +/- 4 pS and gamma = 40 +/- 2 pS as well as z = 3.7 +/- 0.8 and U0 = 73 +/- 7 mV. Transfer of the dye Lucifer Yellow was always considerably lower in Cx40- than in Cx43-transfectants though their total junctional conductance was similar or even higher than for Cx43-transfectants. In order to characterize cell and tissue distribution as well as phosphorylation of connexin40 and -43 proteins, antibodies to C-terminal oligopeptides of these proteins were prepared and used for immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation, and immunofluorescence analysis of transfected cells where they exhibited the punctate pattern characteristic of gap junctions on contacting membranes. Phosphorylation of connexin40 was shown by immunoprecipitation from 32P-labeled, transfected SkHep1 cells. Analyses of protein distribution in tissues revealed that the amount of connexin40 detected in heart was higher than in lung which is the inverse of the level of connexin40 mRNA in these tissues, suggesting posttranscriptional control of expression. Connexin40 protein in adult mouse heart and skin is about 20-fold more abundant than in the corresponding embryonic tissue. Connexin43 in adult mouse heart appears to be more highly phosphorylated than in embryonic heart or in transfected human cells.

Microarray gene expression profiles in dilated and hypertrophic cardiomyopathic end-stage heart failure.

Despite similar clinical endpoints, heart failure resulting from dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) appears to develop through different remodeling and molecular pathways. Current understanding of heart failure has been facilitated by microarray technology. We constructed an in-house spotted cDNA microarray using 10,272 unique clones from various cardiovascular cDNA libraries sequenced and annotated in our laboratory. RNA samples were obtained from left ventricular tissues of precardiac transplantation DCM and HCM patients and were hybridized against normal adult heart reference RNA. After filtering, differentially expressed genes were determined using novel analyzing software. We demonstrated that normalization for cDNA microarray data is slide-dependent and nonlinear. The feasibility of this model was validated by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR, and the accuracy rate depended on the fold change and statistical significance level. Our results showed that 192 genes were highly expressed in both DCM and HCM (e.g., atrial natriuretic peptide, CD59, decorin, elongation factor 2, and heat shock protein 90), and 51 genes were downregulated in both conditions (e.g., elastin, sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase). We also identified several genes differentially expressed between DCM and HCM (e.g., alphaB-crystallin, antagonizer of myc transcriptional activity, beta-dystrobrevin, calsequestrin, lipocortin, and lumican). Microarray technology provides us with a genomic approach to explore the genetic markers and molecular mechanisms leading to heart failure.

Endothelin-1 and endothelin receptors are present in the sheep uterus and conceptus at implantation.

Previous studies have demonstrated that endothelin is present in the ovine endometrium and increases at around the expected time of implantation. To characterize further uterine endothelin at the time of establishment of pregnancy in sheep, endothelin was measured by radioimmunoassay in uterine flushings obtained during the oestrous cycle and in pregnant ewes up to the time of implantation (day 16). During the oestrous cycle, the highest amounts of endothelin were present in uterine flushings on day 14 (1.1 +/- 0.2 ng endothelin/uterus). During early pregnancy, basal levels of endothelin (0.5-0.6 ng endothelin/uterus) were present in uterine flushings for the first 10 days and then increased on day 14 to levels similar to those found at the equivalent stage of the oestrous cycle. On days 15 and 16 of pregnancy, endothelin content in the uterine lumen increased to significantly (P < 0.05) higher concentrations (2.9 +/- 0.4 ng endothelin/uterus) when compared with the non-fertile cycle. The principal isoform present in flushings at the time of implantation was endothelin-1, as determined by reverse-phase HPLC. Endothelin was released principally by purified endometrial epithelial cells in culture, with barely detectable amounts released by endometrial stromal cells or conceptus tissue, which is consistent with the epithelium being the principal source of endothelin in the uterine lumen. Endothelin binding sites were present in endometrium and myometrium, as demonstrated by specific binding of 125I-labelled endothelin-1, which was saturable and displaced by endothelin-1. Both endothelinA and B sub-types of receptors were present as demonstrated by the biphasic displacement of 125I-labelled endothelin-1 binding by the specific endothelinB agonist BQ3020. These were localised principally on luminal and glandular epithelium and in the vasculature of the endometrium and myometrium as shown by autoradiography. Endothelin receptors were also present on the conceptus obtained at the time of implantation. In the day 20 conceptus, endothelin immunostaining was localised principally in the heart, in trophoblast in uninucleate but not in binucleate cells, and in fetal membranes. This immunostaining of the conceptus may represent binding to receptor sites. It is concluded that endothelin-1 is present in the uterine lumen and may play an important role in the paracrine regulation of the conceptus and endometrium at the time of rapid embryo development, implantation and early placentation.

The distribution of stanniocalcin 1 protein in fetal mouse tissues suggests a role in bone and muscle development.

We previously isolated a mammalian gene STC1 that encodes a glycoprotein related to stanniocalcin (STC), a fish hormone that plays a major role in calcium homeostasis. However, the mammalian STC1 gene is expressed in a variety of adult tissues in contrast to fish where STC is expressed only in one unique gland, the corpuscles of Stannius. This suggested that STC1 may have wider autocrine/paracrine functions in mammals. In the present study, using immunocytochemistry, we showed that STC1 protein is localized in the developing bone and muscle of the mouse fetus. During endochondral bone formation, STC1 is found principally in prechondrocytes and prehypertrophic chondrocytes. During intramembranous bone formation STC1 is present in the mesenchyme that is about to undergo ossification. STC1 is also found in the myocardiocytes of the developing heart and at all stages of differentiation from myoblasts to myotube formation in developing skeletal muscle. The specific localization of STC1 to chondrocytes and muscle cells suggests a role for this protein in chondrogenic and myogenic differentiation.

Increased natriuretic peptides in fetal hearts of diabetic rats.

The main purpose of these studies was to determine whether diabetic pregnancy altered maternal and fetal atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). Diabetes was induced in rats by intravenous injection of 40 mg streptozotocin/kg on day 2 of gestation. Immunoreactive ANP in plasma, amniotic fluid and hearts on day 20 of gestation was measured by radioimmunoassay; fetal cardiac natriuretic peptides (ANP, proANP and BNP) were separated by reverse-phase high pressure liquid chromatography. Diabetes caused an increase in fetal plasma insulin, placental weight, amniotic fluid volume, the ratio of the fetal heart to body weight, maternal and fetal plasma ANP, fetal cardiac ANP and fetal cardiac BNP. It is suggested that the maternal diabetes-induced increase in fetal ANP might be related to fetal myocardial hypertrophy and could contribute to hydramnios.

Extra-pituitary growth hormone in peripheral tissues of early chick embryos.

Early embryonic growth is independent of pituitary growth hormone (GH), since it occurs prior to the differentiation of pituitary somatotrophs. Embryogenesis is therefore thought to be regulated by local growth factors. As GH is now known to be produced in many extrapituitary sites, in which it acts in an autocrine or paracrine manner, the possibility that extra-pituitary GH may participate in embryogenesis and organogenesis was assessed by determining the immunocytochemical presence and location of GH- and GH-receptor (GHR)-like proteins in the peripheral tissues of chick embryos during their 21-day incubation period. Immunoreactive (IR)-GH, detectable by a monoclonal and two polyclonal antibodies for chicken GH, was specifically and ubiquitously present in tissues of 3-day-old embryos. At embryonic day (ED) 5, IR-GH was widespread in ectodermal, mesodermal and endodermal tissues, but it was not present in every cell of each tissue. IR-GH was particularly abundant i! n the neural tube, notochord, limb bud, somites, heart, stomach, liver, kidney, Wolffian duct and the amnion. By ED8, IR-GH was still widespread and was now present in limb bud cartilage, although the heart and liver were no longer GH immunoreactive. GH receptor immunoreactivity was also present in most tissues and cells of ED3-ED8 embryos. These results demonstrate that extrapituitary GH is abundantly present during early embryogenesis, prior to the differentiation of pituitary somatotrophs (at ED12). Since GH- and GHR-like proteins are present in most tissues of the chick embryo, it is proposed that extrapituitary GH may act as a local growth factor during embryonic development.

The effect of intermittent umbilical cord occlusion on insulin-like growth factors and their binding proteins in preterm and near-term ovine fetuses.

Intermittent umbilical cord compression with resultant fetal hypoxia can have a negative impact on fetal growth and development. Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their binding proteins (IGFBPs) are the most important regulators of fetal growth. In preterm (107-108 days of gestation) and near-term (128-131 days of gestation) ovine fetuses, we have determined the effect of intermittent umbilical cord occlusion (UCO) over a period of 4 days on the profile and expression of IGFs and IGFBPs. In experimental group animals (preterm n=7; near term n=7) UCOs were carried out by complete inflation of an occluder cuff (duration 90 s) every 30 min for 3-5 h each day, while control fetuses (preterm n=7; near term n=7) received no UCOs. Ewes were euthanized at the end of day 4, and fetal heart, lung, kidney, liver, skeletal muscle and placenta were collected. During UCOs, PO(2! ) fell (by approximately 13 mmHg), pH fell (by approximately 0.05) and PCO(2) increased (by approximately 7 mmHg), and changed to a similar extent in both preterm and near-term groups. In both preterm and near-term groups, there was no difference in fetal body or organ weight between UCO and control fetuses. No significant changes were observed in plasma IGF-I and -II concentrations or IGFBP-1, -2, -3 or -4 levels throughout the 4-day study at either gestational age. In the preterm group UCO fetuses, IGF-II mRNA (1.2-6.0 kb) levels were lower in fetal lung (33%, P<0.05), heart (54%, P<0.01) and skeletal muscle (29%, P<0.05), but there were no differences in IGF-I mRNA levels (7.3 kb); IGFBP-2 mRNA (1.5 kb) levels were lower in the right lobe of the liver (42%, P<0.05) and kidney (22%, P<0.01), but hig! her in the heart (72%, P<0.01), while IGFBP-4 (2.4 kb) levels were lower in skeletal muscle (21%, P<0.01). In the near-term group UCO fetuses, IGFBP-2 mRNA levels were greater in the placenta (39%, P<0.05). Thus, intermittent UCO as studied has a greater effect on the expression of genes encoding certain peptides of the fetal IGF system in selected tissues in preterm fetuses than that in near-term fetuses. Altered IGFBP-2 mRNA levels with reduced IGF-II mRNA levels in selected tissues may mediate changes in growth and/or differentiation that might become apparent if the length of the UCO study were extended.

DNA content and expression of cell cycle proteins in caterpillar nuclei from fetal human cardiac myocytes.

Caterpillar nuclei (CN) are characterized by their peculiar morphology, with chromatin distributed in clusters and running along the longitudinal axis of the nucleus. They can be observed in normal hearts of fetuses as well as in hearts of children and adults with rheumatic heart disease. This study has demonstrated by means of ploidy studies with digital image analysis that in the fetal heart (20.5+/-1.8 weeks) the CN (diploid = 5.6+/-8.4%; tetraploid = 46.2+/-24.2%; hypertetraploid = 46.9+/-26.3%) present higher DNA content than non-caterpillar myocyte nuclei (diploid = 89.4+/-6.2%; tetraploid = 10.0+/-4.1%; hypertetraploid = 1.5+/-1.3%) (P=0.000001, 0.00013, and 0.000038, respectively). Expression of proliferation cell nuclear antigen (PCNA; 30.6+/-11.7% in CN and 13.4+/-7.3% in non-caterpillar myocyte nuclei; P=0.0115) and cyclin B1 (2.8+/-3.8% and 12.6+/-15.6%, respectively; P=n.s.) was also positive in these nuclei. In conclusion, these results suggest that there exists a relationship between CN morphology and myocyte replication phenomena.

Cardiac gene expression of atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide in trisomic fetuses.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the increased nuchal translucency of trisomic fetuses is the consequence of heart failure by examining cardiac expression of atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide genes. METHODS: Cardiac atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were measured in fetal hearts from 15 pregnancies affected by trisomy 21 or 18 at 12-16 weeks' gestation and from 30 normal controls at 10-20 weeks. RESULTS: In normal fetuses, mRNA levels of atrial natriuretic peptide decreased, but levels of brain natriuretic peptide did not change significantly with gestation. In trisomic fetuses, mRNA levels of both atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide were significantly higher than in gestational age-matched normal controls. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide genes are transcribed prenatally, and the findings in trisomic fetuses suggest that the increased translucency of trisomic fetuses may be the consequence of heart failure.

Endocardial localization and characterization of natriuretic peptide binding sites in human fetal and adult heart.

Specific, high affinity binding sites for 125I-human-alpha-atrial natriuretic peptide-(1-28)) (125I-hANP-(1-28)) were identified in human fetal and adult heart and the binding characterized using quantitative in vitro autoradiography. Binding sites were localized to atrial and ventricular endocardium, aorta, pulmonary arteries and epicardial mesothelium. Kinetic studies indicated a Kd value of 32 pM for ventricular endocardial 125I-hANP-(1-28) binding. The binding was completely inhibited by an excess (1 microM) of unlabelled hANP-(1-28), human brain natriuretic peptide-(1-32) (hBNP-(1-32)) and by the 'clearance receptor' specific ring-deleted analogue, C-ANP-(4-23). Competitive inhibition studies indicated a relative inhibitory potency for hBNP-(1-32) and C-ANP-(4-23) of 6% and 3% respectively. The data suggest that a distinct natriuretic peptide receptor subtype is expressed in the endocardium and in addition to a possible clearance function, may represent a site for feedback regulation and peptide interaction.

Ontogeny of insulin-like growth factor-I and -II gene expression in ovine fetal heart.

OBJECTIVE: Insulin-like growth factors (IGF)-I and -II have been implicated in growth and differentiation during embryonic and fetal development. To examine the role of the IGFs in growth of the fetal heart, we determined the gene expression of IGF-I and IGF-II in the four cardiac chambers of the ovine fetus from 58 to 146 days' gestation (term = 147 days). METHODS: Total RNA was obtained from the cardiac chambers, analyzed by Northern blot, and hybridized to ovine specific cDNA probes for IGF-I and IGF-II. The resulting autoradiograms were subjected to light densitometry, and the intensity of the IGF signals was normalized to the respective 28S ribosomal RNA signals. RESULTS: In the atria and ventricles, IGF-I mRNA abundance was very low throughout the gestational period studied, whereas IGF-II mRNA levels were higher and readily detectable. In the atria, IGF-I mRNA was very low at 60 days' gestation and appeared to increase gradually toward term. Abundance of IGF-II mRNA was high at 60 days, increased further until 120 days, and decreased slightly toward term. In contrast, in the ventricles, IGF-I mRNA increased from 60 to 100 days and then declined moderately at term. Levels of IGF-II mRNA in the ventricles were high at 60 days and decreased progressively to low levels at term. No difference in IGF-I or IGF-II mRNA levels was noted between the right and left atria or right and left ventricles. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that developmental patterns for IGF-I and IGF-II gene expression exist in the ovine fetal heart, and the patterns differ between the atria and ventricles. Further, these gestational trends differ from those for atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) found in our previous studies, indicating that expression of the ANF gene in the fetal heart may not be associated with cardiac growth and differentiation.

Characterisation of subtypes of the P2X and P2Y families of ATP receptors in the foetal human heart.

ATP exerts a variety of actions within the myocardium, including the regulation of coronary vascular tone and modulation of the autonomic control of the heart. In order to characterise the ATP receptor subtypes involved in these effects, degenerate oligonucleotides were used to clone receptors of both P2X and P2Y families from the human foetal heart. About 1 ng of "Quick-Clone cDNA" from foetal human heart was subjected to amplification with two pairs of degenerate oligonucleotides designed to amplify subtypes of the P2X and P2Y receptor families by means of PCR reactions. The sequence analysis of 34 and 29 clones of the P2X and P2Y receptor families, respectively, demonstrated that P2X1, P2X3 and P2X4 subtypes are present in the human foetal heart together with P2Y6, P2Y2 and P2Y4 receptors. P2X1 and P2Y4 receptor subtypes were here characterised for the first time in the human foetal heart. The present study provides the first molecular characterisation of ATP receptors in the foetal human heart. The results show that many P2 receptor subtypes are expressed in the foetal human heart, perhaps contributing to developmental processes as well as to the activity of the foetal heart.