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Cellular and Molecular Biology of Cardiac Hypertrophy and Heart Failure: Pathogenesis, Diagnostics and Treatment

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Pathology, Diagnostics, and Therapeutics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2024) | Viewed by 8210

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Retired, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6G 2X6, Canada
Interests: cardiac hypertrophy; heart failure; sodium hydrogen exchange (NHE1); adipokines; traditional Chinese medicines
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heart failure is a major worldwide medical challenge in the 21st century. Although new therapeutic strategies have been developed, the incidence and mortality rates of heart failure are high, resulting in substantial personal, emotional and financial burdens. One roadblock to effectively treating heart failure is the complexity of cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the remodelling process.

I am most pleased to announce that the International Journal of Molecular Sciences plans to devote a Special Issue on this subject entitled "Cellular and Molecular Biology of Cardiac Hypertrophy and Heart Failure: Pathogenesis, Diagnostics and Treatment". Manuscripts may be submitted in the form of either research papers or review articles and manuscripts related to either basic or clinical research. 

Some of the general topics to be covered in the Special Issue include, but are not restricted to:

  • Cell signalling processes;
  • Energy metabolism;
  • Autophagy and mitophagy;
  • Apoptosis;
  • Ion (dys)regulation;
  • Mechanisms of increased dysrhythmogenesis;
  • Adipokines;
  • Hormonal and humoral factors;
  • Novel therapeutic approaches;
  • Natural plant-based therapeutics;
  • The gut microbiome.

Kind regards,

Prof. Dr. Morris Karmazyn
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cardiac hypertrophy
  • myocardial remodelling
  • heart failure
  • cellular mechanisms
  • molecular mechanisms

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3106 KiB  
Article
MicroRNA205: A Key Regulator of Cardiomyocyte Transition from Proliferative to Hypertrophic Growth in the Neonatal Heart
by Jonathan J. Weldrick, Rui Yi, Lynn A. Megeney and Patrick G. Burgon
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(4), 2206; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25042206 - 12 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1621
Abstract
The mammalian myocardium grows rapidly during early development due to cardiomyocyte proliferation, which later transitions to cell hypertrophy to sustain the heart’s postnatal growth. Although this cell transition in the postnatal heart is consistently preserved in mammalian biology, little is known about the [...] Read more.
The mammalian myocardium grows rapidly during early development due to cardiomyocyte proliferation, which later transitions to cell hypertrophy to sustain the heart’s postnatal growth. Although this cell transition in the postnatal heart is consistently preserved in mammalian biology, little is known about the regulatory mechanisms that link proliferation suppression with hypertrophy induction. We reasoned that the production of a micro-RNA(s) could serve as a key bridge to permit changes in gene expression that control the changed cell fate of postnatal cardiomyocytes. We used sequential expression analysis to identify miR205 as a micro-RNA that was uniquely expressed at the cessation of cardiomyocyte growth. Cardiomyocyte-specific miR205 deletion animals showed a 35% increase in heart mass by 3 months of age, with commensurate changes in cell cycle and Hippo pathway activity, confirming miR205’s potential role in controlling cardiomyocyte proliferation. In contrast, overexpression of miR205 in newborn hearts had little effect on heart size or function, indicating a complex, probably redundant regulatory system. These findings highlight miR205’s role in controlling the shift from cardiomyocyte proliferation to hypertrophic development in the postnatal period. Full article
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19 pages, 3280 KiB  
Article
YB-1 Is a Novel Target for the Inhibition of α-Adrenergic-Induced Hypertrophy
by Jacqueline Heger, Stefan Partsch, Claudia Harjung, Zoltán V. Varga, Tamás Baranyai, Johannes Weiß, Lea Kremer, Fabian Locquet, Przemyslaw Leszek, Bence Ágg, Bettina Benczik, Péter Ferdinandy, Rainer Schulz and Gerhild Euler
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(1), 401; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25010401 - 28 Dec 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1516
Abstract
Cardiac hypertrophy resulting from sympathetic nervous system activation triggers the development of heart failure. The transcription factor Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) can interact with transcription factors involved in cardiac hypertrophy and may thereby interfere with the hypertrophy growth process. Therefore, the question [...] Read more.
Cardiac hypertrophy resulting from sympathetic nervous system activation triggers the development of heart failure. The transcription factor Y-box binding protein 1 (YB-1) can interact with transcription factors involved in cardiac hypertrophy and may thereby interfere with the hypertrophy growth process. Therefore, the question arises as to whether YB-1 influences cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and might thereby influence the development of heart failure. YB-1 expression is downregulated in human heart biopsies of patients with ischemic cardiomyopathy (n = 8), leading to heart failure. To study the impact of reduced YB-1 in cardiac cells, we performed small interfering RNA (siRNA) experiments in H9C2 cells as well as in adult cardiomyocytes (CMs) of rats. The specificity of YB-1 siRNA was analyzed by a miRNA-like off-target prediction assay identifying potential genes. Testing three high-scoring genes by transfecting cardiac cells with YB-1 siRNA did not result in downregulation of these genes in contrast to YB-1, whose downregulation increased hypertrophic growth. Hypertrophic growth was mediated by PI3K under PE stimulation, as well by downregulation with YB-1 siRNA. On the other hand, overexpression of YB-1 in CMs, caused by infection with an adenovirus encoding YB-1 (AdYB-1), prevented hypertrophic growth under α-adrenergic stimulation with phenylephrine (PE), but not under stimulation with growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15; n = 10–16). An adenovirus encoding the green fluorescent protein (AdGFP) served as the control. YB-1 overexpression enhanced the mRNA expression of the Gq inhibitor regulator of G-protein signaling 2 (RGS2) under PE stimulation (n = 6), potentially explaining its inhibitory effect on PE-induced hypertrophic growth. This study shows that YB-1 protects cardiomyocytes against PE-induced hypertrophic growth. Like in human end-stage heart failure, YB-1 downregulation may cause the heart to lose its protection against hypertrophic stimuli and progress to heart failure. Therefore, the transcription factor YB-1 is a pivotal signaling molecule, providing perspectives for therapeutic approaches. Full article
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Review

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16 pages, 1341 KiB  
Review
Behavior of Hypertrophied Right Ventricle during the Development of Left Ventricular Failure Due to Myocardial Infarction
by Naranjan S. Dhalla, Karina Oliveira Mota, Carla Maria Lins de Vasconcelos and Adriana Adameova
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(5), 2610; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25052610 - 23 Feb 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1679
Abstract
In order to determine the behavior of the right ventricle, we have reviewed the existing literature in the area of cardiac remodeling, signal transduction pathways, subcellular mechanisms, β-adrenoreceptor-adenylyl cyclase system and myocardial catecholamine content during the development of left ventricular failure due to [...] Read more.
In order to determine the behavior of the right ventricle, we have reviewed the existing literature in the area of cardiac remodeling, signal transduction pathways, subcellular mechanisms, β-adrenoreceptor-adenylyl cyclase system and myocardial catecholamine content during the development of left ventricular failure due to myocardial infarction. The right ventricle exhibited adaptive cardiac hypertrophy due to increases in different signal transduction pathways involving the activation of protein kinase C, phospholipase C and protein kinase A systems by elevated levels of vasoactive hormones such as catecholamines and angiotensin II in the circulation at early and moderate stages of heart failure. An increase in the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ transport without any changes in myofibrillar Ca2+-stimulated ATPase was observed in the right ventricle at early and moderate stages of heart failure. On the other hand, the right ventricle showed maladaptive cardiac hypertrophy at the severe stages of heart failure due to myocardial infarction. The upregulation and downregulation of β-adrenoreceptor-mediated signal transduction pathways were observed in the right ventricle at moderate and late stages of heart failure, respectively. The catalytic activity of adenylate cyclase, as well as the regulation of this enzyme by Gs proteins, were seen to be augmented in the hypertrophied right ventricle at early, moderate and severe stages of heart failure. Furthermore, catecholamine stores and catecholamine uptake in the right ventricle were also affected as a consequence of changes in the sympathetic nervous system at different stages of heart failure. It is suggested that the hypertrophied right ventricle may serve as a compensatory mechanism to the left ventricle during the development of early and moderate stages of heart failure. Full article
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19 pages, 2467 KiB  
Review
Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms Underlying the Cardiac Hypertrophic and Pro-Remodelling Effects of Leptin
by Morris Karmazyn and Xiaohong Tracey Gan
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(2), 1137; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25021137 - 17 Jan 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1411
Abstract
Since its initial discovery in 1994, the adipokine leptin has received extensive interest as an important satiety factor and regulator of energy expenditure. Although produced primarily by white adipocytes, leptin can be synthesized by numerous tissues including those comprising the cardiovascular system. Cardiovascular [...] Read more.
Since its initial discovery in 1994, the adipokine leptin has received extensive interest as an important satiety factor and regulator of energy expenditure. Although produced primarily by white adipocytes, leptin can be synthesized by numerous tissues including those comprising the cardiovascular system. Cardiovascular function can thus be affected by locally produced leptin via an autocrine or paracrine manner but also by circulating leptin. Leptin exerts its effects by binding to and activating specific receptors, termed ObRs or LepRs, belonging to the Class I cytokine family of receptors of which six isoforms have been identified. Although all ObRs have identical intracellular domains, they differ substantially in length in terms of their extracellular domains, which determine their ability to activate cell signalling pathways. The most important of these receptors in terms of biological effects of leptin is the so-called long form (ObRb), which possesses the complete intracellular domain linked to full cell signalling processes. The heart has been shown to express ObRb as well as to produce leptin. Leptin exerts numerous cardiac effects including the development of hypertrophy likely through a number of cell signaling processes as well as mitochondrial dynamics, thus demonstrating substantial complex underlying mechanisms. Here, we discuss mechanisms that potentially mediate leptin-induced cardiac pathological hypertrophy, which may contribute to the development of heart failure. Full article
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Other

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21 pages, 5223 KiB  
Case Report
A Cautionary Tale of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy—From “Benign” Left Ventricular Hypertrophy to Stroke, Atrial Fibrillation, and Molecular Genetic Diagnostics: A Case Report and Review of Literature
by Dolina Gencheva, Petya Angelova, Kameliya Genova, Slavena Atemin, Mila Sleptsova, Tihomir Todorov, Fedya Nikolov, Donka Ruseva, Vanyo Mitev and Albena Todorova
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25(17), 9385; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25179385 - 29 Aug 2024
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Abstract
This case report concerns a 48-year-old man with a history of ischemic stroke at the age of 41 who reported cardiac hypertrophy, registered in his twenties when explained by increased physical activity. Family history was positive for a mother with permanent atrial fibrillation [...] Read more.
This case report concerns a 48-year-old man with a history of ischemic stroke at the age of 41 who reported cardiac hypertrophy, registered in his twenties when explained by increased physical activity. Family history was positive for a mother with permanent atrial fibrillation from her mid-thirties. At the age of 44, he had a first episode of persistent atrial fibrillation, accompanied by left atrial thrombosis while on a direct oral anticoagulant. He presented at our clinic at the age of 45 with another episode of persistent atrial fibrillation and decompensated heart failure. Echocardiography revealed a dilated left atrium, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, and an asymmetric left ventricular hypertrophy. Cardiac magnetic resonance was positive for a cardiomyopathy with diffuse fibrosis, while slow-flow phenomenon was present on coronary angiography. Genetic testing by whole-exome sequencing revealed three variants in the patient, c.309C > A, p.His103Gln in the ACTC1 gene, c.116T > G, p.Leu39Ter in the PLN gene, and c.5827C > T, p.His1943Tyr in the SCN5A gene, the first two associated with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and the latter possibly with familial atrial fibrillation. This case illustrates the need for advanced diagnostics in unexplained left ventricular hypertrophy, as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is often overlooked, leading to potentially debilitating health consequences. Full article
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