Molecular and cellular evidence for the impact of a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy-associated RAF1 variant on the structure and function of contractile machinery in bioartificial cardiac tissues.

Noonan syndrome (NS), the most common among RASopathies, is caused by germline variants in genes encoding components of the RAS-MAPK pathway. Distinct variants, including the recurrent Ser257Leu substitution in RAF1, are associated with severe hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). Here, we investigated the elusive mechanistic link between NS-associated RAF1S257L and HCM using three-dimensional cardiac bodies and bioartificial cardiac tissues generated from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) harboring the pathogenic RAF1 c.770 C > T missense change. We characterize the molecular, structural, and functional consequences of aberrant RAF1-associated signaling on the cardiac models. Ultrastructural assessment of the sarcomere revealed a shortening of the I-bands along the Z disc area in both iPSC-derived RAF1S257L cardiomyocytes and myocardial tissue biopsies. The aforementioned changes correlated with the isoform shift of titin from a longer (N2BA) to a shorter isoform (N2B) that also affected the active force generation and contractile tensions. The genotype-phenotype correlation was confirmed using cardiomyocyte progeny of an isogenic gene-corrected RAF1S257L-iPSC line and was mainly reversed by MEK inhibition. Collectively, our findings uncovered a direct link between a RASopathy gene variant and the abnormal sarcomere structure resulting in a cardiac dysfunction that remarkably recapitulates the human disease.

Phospholamban pentamerization increases sensitivity and dynamic range of cardiac relaxation.

AIMS: A key event in the regulation of cardiac contraction and relaxation is the phosphorylation of phospholamban (PLN) that relieves the inhibition of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a). PLN exists in an equilibrium between monomers and pentamers. While only monomers can inhibit SERCA2a by direct interaction, the functional role of pentamers is still unclear. This study investigates the functional consequences of PLN pentamerization. METHODS AND RESULTS: We generated transgenic mouse models expressing either a PLN mutant that cannot form pentamers (TgAFA-PLN) or wild-type PLN (TgPLN) in a PLN-deficient background. TgAFA-PLN hearts demonstrated three-fold stronger phosphorylation of monomeric PLN, accelerated Ca2+ cycling of cardiomyocytes, and enhanced contraction and relaxation of sarcomeres and whole hearts in vivo. All of these effects were observed under baseline conditions and abrogated upon inhibition of protein kinase A (PKA). Mechanistically, far western kinase assays revealed that PLN pentamers are phosphorylated by PKA directly and independent of any subunit exchange for free monomers. In vitro phosphorylation of synthetic PLN demonstrated that pentamers even provide a preferred PKA substrate and compete with monomers for the kinase, thereby reducing monomer phosphorylation and maximizing SERCA2a inhibition. However, ß-adrenergic stimulation induced strong PLN monomer phosphorylation in TgPLN hearts and sharp acceleration of cardiomyocyte Ca2+ cycling and haemodynamic values that now were indistinguishable from TgAFA-PLN and PLN-KO hearts. The pathophysiological relevance of PLN pentamerization was evaluated using transverse aortic constriction (TAC) to induce left ventricular pressure overload. Compared to TgPLN, TgAFA-PLN mice demonstrated reduced survival after TAC, impaired cardiac haemodynamics, failure to respond to adrenergic stimulation, higher heart weight, and increased myocardial fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that PLN pentamerization greatly impacts on SERCA2a activity as it mediates the full range of PLN effects from maximum inhibition to full release of SERCA2a function. This regulation is important for myocardial adaptation to sustained pressure overload.

Diabetes disturbs functional adaptation of the remote myocardium after ischemia/reperfusion.

Diabetes mellitus type 2 is associated with adverse clinical outcome after myocardial infarction. To better understand the underlying causes we here investigated sarcomere protein function and its calcium-dependent regulation in the non-ischemic remote myocardium (RM) of diabetic mice (db/db) after transient occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Before and 24 h after surgery db/db and non-diabetic db/+ underwent magnetic resonance imaging followed by histological and biochemical analyses of heart tissue. Intracellular calcium transients and sarcomere function were measured in isolated cardiomyocytes. Active and passive force generation was assessed in skinned fibers and papillary muscle preparations. Before ischemia and reperfusion (I/R), beat-to-beat calcium cycling was depressed in diabetic cardiomyocytes. Nevertheless, contractile function was preserved owing to increased myofilament calcium sensitivity and higher responsiveness of myocardial force production to ß-adrenergic stimulation in db/db compared to db/+. In addition, protein kinase C activity was elevated in db/db hearts leading to strong phosphorylation of the titin PEVK region and increased titin-based tension of myofilaments. I/R impaired the function of whole hearts and RM sarcomeres in db/db to a larger extent than in non-diabetic db/+, and we identified several reasons. First, the amplitude and the kinetics of cardiomyocyte calcium transients were further reduced in the RM of db/db. Underlying causes involved altered expression of calcium regulatory proteins. Diabetes and I/R additively reduced phospholamban S16-phosphorylation by 80% (P < 000.1) leading to strong inhibition of the calcium ATPase SERCA2a. Second, titin stiffening was only observed in the RM of db/+, but not in the RM of db/db. Finally, db/db myofilament calcium sensitivity and force generation upon ß-adrenergic stimulation were no longer enhanced over db/+ in the RM. The findings demonstrate that impaired cardiomyocyte calcium cycling of db/db hearts is compensated by increased myofilament calcium sensitivity and increased titin-based stiffness prior to I/R. In contrast, sarcomere function of the RM 24 h after I/R is poor because both these compensatory mechanisms fail and myocyte calcium handling is further depressed.

4-Methylumbelliferone Attenuates Macrophage Invasion and Myocardial Remodeling in Pressure-Overloaded Mouse Hearts.

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Spongean alkaloids protect rat kidney cells against cisplatin-induced cytotoxicity.

Nephrotoxicity is the major dose-limiting adverse effect of cisplatin (CisPt) and results from CisPt-induced damage of tubular cells. Nephroprotective strategies are preferential to improve supportive care in cancer. We investigated a subset of purified substances originating from various plants or from marine sponges as to their potency to protect rat renal tubular cells (NRK-52E) against the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of cisplatin. Cotreatment with a substance pool containing five purified substances originating from marine sponges increased the viability of NRK-52E cells following cisplatin treatment. Cytoprotection was accompanied by a reduced level of DNA damage as indicated by a lower amount of S139 phosphorylated histone H2AX (γH2AX) 24 h after treatment. Cytoprotection and genoprotection by the sponge substance pool did not comprise the anthracycline derivative doxorubicin. The spongean alkaloid aaptamine was identified as major bioactive compound that mediates cisplatin resistance. Aeroplysinin-1 was less cytoprotective than aaptamine. Notably, aaptamine preferentially conferred resistance to cisplatin, but not to oxaliplatin. Cytoprotection by aaptamine was also observed in rat glomerular endothelial cells, but not in RT-112 bladder cancer cells. Protection by aaptamine does not rest on a reduced formation of DNA damage caused by cisplatin treatment. Aaptamine and aeroplysinin-1 affected cisplatin-stimulated DDR as reflected on the level of S15-phosphorlyated p53 and S345-phosphorylated checkpoint kinase-1. Summarizing, the spongean alkaloid aaptamine alleviates cisplatin-induced damage in tubular and glomerular rat kidney cells. Therefore, we hypothesize that aaptamine might be useful to widen the therapeutic window of a cisplatin-based therapeutic regimen.