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Molecular Research on Cardiomyopathy 2.0

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Guest Editor
Department of Biology, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY 42101, USA
Interests: muscular dystrophy; Duchenne; BDNF; neuregulin; ErbB3; cardiac fibrosis; TrkB; skeletal muscle
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The field of cardiovascular medicine has broadened as technologies evolve. More importantly, clinically relevant discoveries have grown exponentially with genomics, improvements in stem cells, inter-organ and systemic approaches, and cardiotoxicity side-effects of cancer drugs and a variety of other therapeutics. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the heart is inexorably linked to multiple human disease conditions. As such, the molecular underpinnings of non-cardiac processes have emerged with new relevancy to cardiac disease. Contributions to this Special Issue will provide insights into novel mechanisms of action that contribute broadly to cardiomyopathies of multiple etiologies and suggest therapeutic interventions for meeting new challenges in heart health.

Dr. Cristi L. Galindo
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • cardiomyopathy
  • genomics
  • gene expression
  • myocytes
  • fibrosis

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3270 KiB  
Article
VARS2 Depletion Leads to Activation of the Integrated Stress Response and Disruptions in Mitochondrial Fatty Acid Oxidation
by Elham Kayvanpour, Michael Wisdom, Maximilian K. Lackner, Farbod Sedaghat-Hamedani, Jes-Niels Boeckel, Marion Müller, Rose Eghbalian, Jan Dudek, Shirin Doroudgar, Christoph Maack, Norbert Frey and Benjamin Meder
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(13), 7327; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23137327 - 30 Jun 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2670
Abstract
Mutations in mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (mtARSs) have been reported in patients with mitochondriopathies: most commonly encephalopathy, but also cardiomyopathy. Through a GWAS, we showed possible associations between mitochondrial valyl-tRNA synthetase (VARS2) dysregulations and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. We aimed to investigate the possible consequences of [...] Read more.
Mutations in mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (mtARSs) have been reported in patients with mitochondriopathies: most commonly encephalopathy, but also cardiomyopathy. Through a GWAS, we showed possible associations between mitochondrial valyl-tRNA synthetase (VARS2) dysregulations and non-ischemic cardiomyopathy. We aimed to investigate the possible consequences of VARS2 depletion in zebrafish and cultured HEK293A cells. Transient VARS2 loss-of-function was induced in zebrafish embryos using Morpholinos. The enzymatic activity of VARS2 was measured in VARS2-depleted cells via northern blot. Heterozygous VARS2 knockout was established in HEK293A cells using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. BN-PAGE and SDS-PAGE were used to investigate electron transport chain (ETC) complexes, and the oxygen consumption rate and extracellular acidification rate were measured using a Seahorse XFe96 Analyzer. The activation of the integrated stress response (ISR) and possible disruptions in mitochondrial fatty acid oxidation (FAO) were explored using RT-qPCR and western blot. Zebrafish embryos with transient VARS2 loss-of-function showed features of heart failure as well as indications of CNS and skeletal muscle involvements. The enzymatic activity of VARS2 was significantly reduced in VARS2-depleted cells. Heterozygous VARS2-knockout cells showed a rearrangement of ETC complexes in favor of complexes III2, III2 + IV, and supercomplexes without significant respiratory chain deficiencies. These cells also showed the enhanced activation of the ISR, as indicated by increased eIF-2α phosphorylation and a significant increase in the transcript levels of ATF4, ATF5, and DDIT3 (CHOP), as well as disruptions in FAO. The activation of the ISR and disruptions in mitochondrial FAO may underlie the adaptive changes in VARS2-depleted cells. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research on Cardiomyopathy 2.0)
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16 pages, 3492 KiB  
Article
Decreased Expression of Plakophilin-2 and αT-Catenin in Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy: Potential Markers for Diagnosis
by Pei-Fang Hung, Fa-Po Chung, Chung-Lieh Hung, Yenn-Jiang Lin, Tzu-Ting Kuo, Jo-Nan Liao, Yun-Yu Chen, Chih-Hsin Pan, Kai-Ping Shaw and Shih-Ann Chen
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(10), 5529; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23105529 - 16 May 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2105
Abstract
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a hereditary disease of the heart muscle. Clinical challenges remain, however, in identifying patients with ARVC in the early or concealed stages with subtle clinical manifestations. Therefore, we wanted to identify potential targets by immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis [...] Read more.
Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC) is a hereditary disease of the heart muscle. Clinical challenges remain, however, in identifying patients with ARVC in the early or concealed stages with subtle clinical manifestations. Therefore, we wanted to identify potential targets by immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis in comparison with controls. Pathogenic mutations were identified in 11 of 37 autopsied patients with ARVC. As observed from IHC analysis of the RV, expression of αT-catenin and plakophilin-2 is significantly decreased in autopsied patients with ARVC as compared to controls, and the decreased expression is consistent in patients with and without pathogenic mutations. Furthermore, ARVC specimens demonstrated a reduced localization of αT-catenin, desmocollin-2, desmoglein-2, desmoplakin, and plakophilin-2 on intercalated discs. These findings have been validated by comparing RV specimens obtained via endomyocardial biopsy between patients with ARVC and those without. The pathogenic mutation was present in 3 of 5 clinical patients with ARVC. In HL-1 myocytes, siRNA was used to knockdown CTNNA3, and western blotting analysis demonstrated that the decline in αT-catenin expression was accompanied by a significant decline in the expression of plakophilin-2. The aforementioned effect was directed towards protein degradation rather than mRNA stability. Plakophilin-2 expression decreases concurrently with the decline in CTNNA3 expression. Therefore, the expression of αT-catenin and plakophilin-2 could be potential surrogates for the diagnosis of ARVC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Research on Cardiomyopathy 2.0)
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