41 research outputs found
Cardiac sarcomere mechanics in health and disease
The sarcomere is the fundamental structural and functional unit of striated muscle and is directly responsible for most of its mechanical properties. The sarcomere generates active or contractile forces and determines the passive or elastic properties of striated muscle. In the heart, mutations in sarcomeric proteins are responsible for the majority of genetically inherited cardiomyopathies. Here, we review the major determinants of cardiac sarcomere mechanics including the key structural components that contribute to active and passive tension. We dissect the molecular and structural basis of active force generation, including sarcomere composition, structure, activation, and relaxation. We then explore the giant sarcomere-resident protein titin, the major contributor to cardiac passive tension. We discuss sarcomere dynamics exemplified by the regulation of titin-based stiffness and the titin life cycle. Finally, we provide an overview of therapeutic strategies that target the sarcomere to improve cardiac contraction and filling
Real-time optical manipulation of cardiac conduction in intact hearts
Optogenetics has provided new insights in cardiovascular research, leading to new methods for cardiac pacing, resynchronization therapy and cardioversion. Although these interventions have clearly demonstrated the feasibility of cardiac manipulation, current optical stimulation strategies do not take into account cardiac wave dynamics in real time. Here, we developed an allâoptical platform complemented by integrated, newly developed software to monitor and control electrical activity in intact mouse hearts. The system combined a wideâfield mesoscope with a digital projector for optogenetic activation. Cardiac functionality could be manipulated either in freeârun mode with submillisecond temporal resolution or in a closedâloop fashion: a tailored hardware and software platform allowed realâtime intervention capable of reacting within 2 ms. The methodology was applied to restore normal electrical activity after atrioventricular block, by triggering the ventricle in response to optically mapped atrial activity with appropriate timing. Realâtime intraventricular manipulation of the propagating electrical wavefront was also demonstrated, opening the prospect for realâtime resynchronization therapy and cardiac defibrillation. Furthermore, the closedâloop approach was applied to simulate a reâentrant circuit across the ventricle demonstrating the capability of our system to manipulate heart conduction with high versatility even in arrhythmogenic conditions. The development of this innovative optical methodology provides the first proofâofâconcept that a realâtime optically based stimulation can control cardiac rhythm in normal and abnormal conditions, promising a new approach for the investigation of the (patho)physiology of the heart
3D imaging and morphometry of the heart capillary system in spontaneously hypertensive rats and normotensive controls
Advanced Morpho-Functional Analysis on Ventricular and Atrial Tissue Reveals Cross-Bridge Kinetics Alterations and Sarcomere Energetic Impairment in Hcm Patients
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Expression of Normally Repressed Myosin Heavy Chain 7b in the Mammalian Heart Induces Dilated Cardiomyopathy
In mammals, muscle contraction is controlled by a family of 10 sarcomeric myosin motors. The expression of one of its members, MYH7b, is regulated by alternative splicing, and while the protein is restricted to specialized muscles such as extraocular muscles or muscle spindles, RNA that cannot encode protein is expressed in most skeletal muscles and in the heart. Remarkably, birds and snakes express MYH7b protein in both heart and skeletal muscles. This observation suggests that in the mammalian heart, the motor activity of MYH7b may only be needed during development since its expression is prevented in adult tissue, possibly because it could promote disease by unbalancing myocardial contractility. Methods and Results We have analyzed MYH7b null mice to determine the potential role of MYH7b during cardiac development and also generated transgenic mice with cardiac myocyte expression of MYH7b protein to measure its impact on cardiomyocyte function and contractility. We found that MYH7b null mice are born at expected Mendelian ratios and do not have a baseline cardiac phenotype as adults. In contrast, transgenic cardiac MYH7b protein expression induced early cardiac dilation in males with significantly increased left ventricular mass in both sexes. Cardiac dilation is progressive, leading to early cardiac dysfunction in males, but later dysfunction in females. Conclusions The data presented show that the expression of MYH7b protein in the mammalian heart has been inhibited during the evolution of mammals most likely to prevent the development of a severe cardiomyopathy that is sexually dimorphic.</p
Ryanodine receptors are part of the myospryn complex in cardiac muscle
The Cardiomyopathyâassociated gene 5 (Cmya5) encodes myospryn, a large tripartite motif (TRIM)-related protein found predominantly in cardiac and skeletal muscle. Cmya5 is an expression biomarker for a number of diseases affecting striated muscle and may also be a schizophrenia risk gene. To further understand the function of myospryn in striated muscle, we searched for additional myospryn paralogs. Here we identify a novel muscle-expressed TRIM-related protein minispryn, encoded by Fsd2, that has extensive sequence similarity with the C-terminus of myospryn. Cmya5 and Fsd2 appear to have originated by a chromosomal duplication and are found within evolutionarily-conserved gene clusters on different chromosomes. Using immunoaffinity purification and mass spectrometry we show that minispryn co-purifies with myospryn and the major cardiac ryanodine receptor (RyR2) from heart. Accordingly, myospryn, minispryn and RyR2 co-localise at the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum of isolated cardiomyocytes. Myospryn redistributes RyR2 into clusters when co-expressed in heterologous cells whereas minispryn lacks this activity. Together these data suggest a novel role for the myospryn complex in the assembly of ryanodine receptor clusters in striated muscle
Transverse tubule remodelling: a cellular pathology driven by both sides of the plasmalemma?
Transverse (t)-tubules are invaginations of the plasma membrane that form a complex network of ducts, 200â400 nm in diameter depending on the animal species, that penetrates deep within the cardiac myocyte, where they facilitate a fast and synchronous contraction across the entire cell volume. There is now a large body of evidence in animal models and humans demonstrating that pathological distortion of the t-tubule structure has a causative role in the loss of myocyte contractility that underpins many forms of heart failure. Investigations into the molecular mechanisms of pathological t-tubule remodelling to date have focused on proteins residing in the intracellular aspect of t-tubule membrane that form linkages between the membrane and myocyte cytoskeleton. In this review, we shed light on the mechanisms of t-tubule remodelling which are not limited to the intracellular side. Our recent data have demonstrated that collagen is an integral part of the t-tubule network and that it increases within the tubules in heart failure, suggesting that a fibrotic mechanism could drive cardiac junctional remodelling. We examine the evidence that the linkages between the extracellular matrix, t-tubule membrane and cellular cytoskeleton should be considered as a whole when investigating the mechanisms of t-tubule pathology in the failing heart