Modelling pathological effects in intracellular calcium dynamics leading to atrial fibrillation

The heart beating is produced by the synchronization of the cardiac cells' contraction. A dysregulation in this mechanism may produce episodes of abnormal heart contraction. The origin of these abnormalities often lies at the subcellular level where calcium is the most important ion that controls the cell contraction. The regulation of calcium concentration is determined by the ryanodine receptors (RyR), the calcium channels that connect the cytosol and the sarcoplasmic reticulum. RyRs open and close stochastically with calcium-dependent rates. The fundamental calcium release event is known as calcium spark, which refers to a local release of calcium through one or more RyRs. Thus, a deep knowledge on both the spatio-temporal characteristics of the calcium patterns and the role of the RyRs is crucial to understand the transition between healthy to unhealthy cells. The aim of this Thesis has been to figure out these changes at the submicron scale, which may induce the transition to Atrial Fibrillation (AF) in advanced stages. To address this issue, I have developed, and validated, a subcellular mathematical model of an atrial myocyte which includes the electro-physiological currents as well as the fundamental intracellular structures. The high resolution of the model has allowed me to study the spatio-temporal calcium features that arise from both the cell stimulation and the resting conditions. Simulations show the relevance of the assembly of RyRs into clusters, leading to the formation of macro-sparks for heterogeneous distributions. These macro-sparks may produce ectopic beats under pathophysiological conditions. The incorporation of RyR-modulators into the model produces a nonuniform spatial distribution of calcium sparks, a situation observed during AF. In this sense, calsequestrin (CSQ) has emerged as a key calcium buffer that modifies the calcium handling. The lack of CSQ produces an increase in the spark frequency and, during calcium overload, it also promotes the appearance of global calcium oscillations. Finally, I have also characterized the effect of detubulation, a common issue in cells with AF and heart failure. Thus, the present work represents a step forward in the understanding of the mechanisms leading to AF, with the development of computational models that, in the future, can be used to complement in vitro or in vivo studies, helping find therapeutic targets for this disease

Markov chain models of calcium puffs and sparks

Localized cytosolic Ca2+ elevations known as puffs and sparks are important regulators of cellular function that arise due to the cooperative activity of Ca2+-regulated inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (IP3Rs) or ryanodine receptors (RyRs) co-localized at Ca2+ release sites on the surface of the endoplasmic reticulum or sarcoplasmic reticulum. Theoretical studies have demonstrated that the cooperative gating of a cluster of Ca2+-regulated Ca 2+ channels modeled as a continuous-time discrete-state Markov chain may result in dynamics reminiscent of Ca2+ puffs and sparks. In such simulations, individual Ca2+-release channels are coupled via a mathematical representation of the local [Ca2+] and exhibit stochastic Ca2+ excitability where channels open and close in a concerted fashion. This dissertation uses Markov chain models of Ca 2+ release sites to advance our understanding of the biophysics connecting the microscopic parameters of IP3R and RyR gating to the collective phenomenon of puffs and sparks.;The dynamics of puffs and sparks exhibited by release site models that include both Ca2+ coupling and nearest-neighbor allosteric coupling are studied. Allosteric interactions are included in a manner that promotes the synchronous gating of channels by stabilizing neighboring closed-closed and/or open-open channel pairs. When the strength of Ca2+-mediated channel coupling is systematically varied, simulations that include allosteric interactions often exhibit more robust Ca2+ puffs and sparks. Interestingly, the changes in puff/spark duration, inter-event interval, and frequency observed upon the random removal of allosteric couplings that stabilize closed-closed channel pairs are qualitatively different than the changes observed when open-open channel pairs, or both open-open and closed-closed channel pairs are stabilized. The validity of a computationally efficient mean-field reduction applicable to the dynamics of a cluster of Ca2+-release Ca2+ channels coupled via the local [Ca2+] and allosteric interactions is also investigated.;Markov chain models of Ca2+ release sites composed of channels that are both activated and inactivated by Ca2+ are used to clarify the role of Ca2+ inactivation in the generation and termination of puffs and sparks. It is found that when the average fraction of inactivated channels is significant, puffs and sparks are often less sensitive to variations in the number of channels at release sites and the strength of Ca2+ coupling. While excessively fast Ca2+ inactivation can preclude puffs and sparks moderately fast Ca2+ inactivation often leads to time-irreversible puff/sparks whose termination is facilitated by the recruitment of inactivated channels throughout the duration of the puff/spark event. On the other hand, Ca2+ inactivation may be an important negative feedback mechanism even when its time constant is much greater than the duration of puffs and sparks. In fact, slow Ca 2+ inactivation can lead to release sites with a substantial fraction of inactivated channels that exhibit nearly time-reversible puffs and sparks that terminate without additional recruitment of inactivated channels

Multiscale Modeling of Calcium-Induced Arrhythmias

Sudden cardiac death occurs when an unexpected ventricular arrhythmia degenerates into fibrillation, which prevents the heart from pumping blood through the body. Heart diseases such as heart failure are significant risk factors for arrhythmias and are characterized by severely altered calcium (Ca2+) handling in cardiac myocytes. However, the Ca2+-dependent mechanisms underlying cardiac arrhythmia initiation are not well understood. In this work, mathematical models were developed to investigate the molecular mechanisms of pathological Ca2+ dynamics in ventricular cardiac myocytes. A biophysically-detailed three-dimensional model of a subcellular Ca2+ release site was used to study mechanisms of spontaneous spatially-confined Ca2+ release events, known as Ca2+ “sparks,” which underlie cell-wide Ca2+ release and arrhythmogenic Ca2+ waves. It revealed a correlation between Ca2+ spark frequency and the maximum eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix describing the Ca2+ release channel lattice. This relationship was further investigated using a mathematical contact network model describing the Ca2+ spark initiation process. A multiscale model of a 1D fiber of myocytes was also developed to investigate the mechanisms of ectopic excitation of cardiac tissue. The model was used to study the stochastic variability of delayed afterdepolarizations caused by spontaneous propagating waves of Ca2+ sparks. Large delayed afterdepolarizations triggered ectopic beats probabilistically due to the stochasticity of Ca2+ release channel gating. A novel method was developed to estimate the probability of rare arrhythmic events

Structural mechanisms of gating at the selectivity filter of the human cardiac ryanodine receptor (hRyR2) channel

The cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2) contains structural elements within the channel pore that function as gates to regulate the release of intracellular calcium, initiating cardiac muscle contraction. The precise regulation of these gates is critical in maintaining normal cardiac function, and channel dysfunction, resulting in altered calcium handling, underlies the mechanisms of arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death. The enormous size of RyR2 has impeded the gathering of detailed structural information, hence the structural determinants for channel gating remain unknown. Structural modelling studies have revealed similarities between the RyR2 pore and the K+ channel, KcsA, providing a framework in which to test channel gating mechanisms. A region termed the selectivity filter is a gating component in K+ channels, involved in inactivation and flicker closings, and its conformation is maintained by a transient hydrogen-bonding network. This project examined the role of the RyR2 selectivity filter in channel gating by generating mutants at analogous positions to KcsA that either disrupted (Y4813A, D4829A and Y4839A) or maintained (Y4813W, D4829E and Y4839W) a proposed hydrogen-bonding network, and assessed their intracellular Ca2+ release, ryanodine modification and biophysical properties. Y4813A and D4829A had drastic effects on channel function, whereas retaining physicochemical properties of conservative mutations, Y4813W and Y4839W, maintained the functional characteristics of WT RyR2. Flicker closings were affected by Y4839A mutation however, in general, single-channel gating for Y4813W, Y4839A and Y4839W was comparable to WT RyR2. Interestingly, monitoring single-channels for prolonged periods revealed novel insights into channel behaviour, characterised by inherent fluctuations in channel activity under steady-state conditions. This thesis reveals that the selectivity filter region is an important component for RyR2 channel function. However, it remains unclear whether the selectivity filter regulates channel gating, as the proposed hydrogen-bonding network would not be possible due to altered residue distances revealed from recent high-resolution RyR structural models

The human cardiac ryanodine receptor gating behaviour: a study of mechanisms

Rhythmic contraction of cardiac myocytes is maintained by precisely controlled Ca2+ efflux from intracellular stores mediated by the cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2). Mutations in RyR2 result in perturbed Ca2+ release that can trigger arrhythmias. RyR2- dependent ventricular tachyarrhythmia is an important cause of sudden cardiac death, the mechanistic basis of which remains unclear. RyR2 dysfunction has also been implicated in other cardiovascular disorders such as heart failure and cardiomyopathy, thereby becoming an important target for putative drugs. The massive size of RyR2 (~2.2 MDa) along with its intracellular location poses considerable challenges to studies aimed at understanding the mechanisms underlying channel dysfunction. Single channel studies of reconstituted RyR2 in artificial lipid bilayers have provided important insights into channel behaviour in response to various physiological ligands, toxins, drugs and biochemical modifications. However, the precise mechanisms by which RyR2 is activated by its primary physiological trigger, cytosolic Ca2+, and the structural determinants of channel gating are yet unknown. In this study, I aim to understand the actual physical reality of RyR2 gating behaviour using novel experimental approaches and analytical procedures. I have examined in detail, single channel kinetics of wild type purified recombinant human RyR2 (hRyR2) when activated by cytosolic Ca2+ in a precisely regulated minimal environment where the modulatory influence of factors external to the channel were minimised. This mathematical modelling of hRyR2 single channel behaviour will serve as a future experimental platform upon which the effects of disease causing mutations can be studied, as well as the influence of physiological modulators and potentially therapeutic compounds capable of stabilising mutant channel function. Single channel studies of hRyR2 when modified by its archetypal ligand ryanodine in the absence of Ca2+ have uncovered an unusual voltage sensitive gating behaviour in this ligand-gated channel, providing further insights into the mechanisms underlying channel modification

Particle-based multiscale modeling of calcium puff dynamics

© 2016 SIAM. Intracellular calcium is regulated in part by the release of Ca2+ ions from the endo-plasmic reticulum via inositol-4,5-triphosphate receptor (IP3R) channels (among other possibilities such as RyR and L-type calcium channels). The resulting dynamics are highly diverse and lead to local calcium "puffs" as well as global waves propagating through cells, as observed in Xenopus oocytes, neurons, and other cell types. Local fluctuations in the number of calcium ions play a crucial role in the onset of these features. Previous modeling studies of calcium puff dynamics stemming from IP3R channels have predominantly focused on stochastic channel models coupled to deterministic diffusion of ions, thereby neglecting local fluctuations of the ion number. Tracking of individual ions is computationally difficult due to the scale separation in the Ca2+ concentration when channels are in the open or closed states. In this paper, a spatial multiscale model for investigating of the dynamics of puffs is presented. It couples Brownian motion (diffusion) of ions with a stochastic channel gating model. The model is used to analyze calcium puff statistics. Concentration time traces as well as channel state information are studied. We identify the regime in which puffs can be found and develop a mean-field theory to extract the boundary of this regime. Puffs are possible only when the time scale of channel inhibition is sufficiently large. Implications for the understanding of puff generation and termination are discussed.This work was partially supported by the European Research Council under the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007–2013)/ERC grant agreement 239870

Unbalance between sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2 + uptake and release: A first step toward Ca2 + triggered arrhythmias and cardiac damage

The present review focusses on the regulation and interplay of cardiac SR Ca2+ handling proteins involved in SR Ca2+ uptake and release, i.e., SERCa2/PLN and RyR2. Both RyR2 and SERCA2a/PLN are highly regulated by post-translational modifications and/or different partners’ proteins. These control mechanisms guarantee a precise equilibrium between SR Ca2+ reuptake and release. The review then discusses how disruption of this balance alters SR Ca2+ handling and may constitute a first step toward cardiac damage and malignant arrhythmias. In the last part of the review, this concept is exemplified in different cardiac diseases, like prediabetic and diabetic cardiomyopathy, digitalis intoxication and ischemia-reperfusion injury.Fil: Federico, Marilén. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Valverde, Carlos Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Mattiazzi, Ramona Alicia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; ArgentinaFil: Palomeque, Julieta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani". Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Médicas. Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares "Dr. Horacio Eugenio Cingolani"; Argentina. Universidad Abierta Interamericana. Secretaría de Investigación. Centro de Altos Estudios En Ciencias Humanas y de la Salud - Sede Buenos Aires; Argentin