8 research outputs found

    Calpains as Potential Therapeutic Targets for Myocardial Hypertrophy

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    Calpain; Calpastatin; Myocardial hypertrophyCalpaína; Calpastatina; Hipertrofia miocárdicaCalpaïna; Calpastatina; Hipertròfia miocàrdicaDespite advances in its treatment, heart failure remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality, evidencing an urgent need for novel mechanism-based targets and strategies. Myocardial hypertrophy, caused by a wide variety of chronic stress stimuli, represents an independent risk factor for the development of heart failure, and its prevention constitutes a clinical objective. Recent studies performed in preclinical animal models support the contribution of the Ca2+-dependent cysteine proteases calpains in regulating the hypertrophic process and highlight the feasibility of their long-term inhibition as a pharmacological strategy. In this review, we discuss the existing evidence implicating calpains in the development of cardiac hypertrophy, as well as the latest advances in unraveling the underlying mechanisms. Finally, we provide an updated overview of calpain inhibitors that have been explored in preclinical models of cardiac hypertrophy and the progress made in developing new compounds that may serve for testing the efficacy of calpain inhibition in the treatment of pathological cardiac hypertrophy.This study was funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III of the Spanish Ministry of Health FIS-PI20/01681) and the research network CIBERCV (CB16/11/00479)

    Degradation of GRK2 and AKT is an early and detrimental event in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion

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    GRK2; AKT; Ischemia-reperfusionGRK2; AKT; Isquemia-reperfusiónGRK2; AKT; Isquèmia-reperfusióBackground: Identification of signaling pathways altered at early stages after cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) is crucial to develop timely therapies aimed at reducing I/R injury. The expression of G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2), a key signaling hub, is up-regulated in the long-term in patients and in experimental models of heart failure. However, whether GRK2 levels change at early time points following myocardial I/R and its functional impact during this period remain to be established. Methods: We have investigated the temporal changes of GRK2 expression and their potential relationships with the cardioprotective AKT pathway in isolated rat hearts and porcine preclinical models of I/R. Findings: Contrary to the maladaptive up-regulation of GRK2 reported at later times after myocardial infarction, successive GRK2 phosphorylation at specific sites during ischemia and early reperfusion elicits GRK2 degradation by the proteasome and calpains, respectively, thus keeping GRK2 levels low during early I/R in rat hearts. Concurrently, I/R promotes decay of the prolyl-isomerase Pin1, a positive regulator of AKT stability, and a marked loss of total AKT protein, resulting in an overall decreased activity of this pro-survival pathway. A similar pattern of concomitant down-modulation of GRK2/AKT/Pin1 protein levels in early I/R was observed in pig hearts. Calpain and proteasome inhibition prevents GRK2/Pin1/AKT degradation, restores bulk AKT pathway activity and attenuates myocardial I/R injury in isolated rat hearts. Interpretation: Preventing transient degradation of GRK2 and AKT during early I/R might improve the potential of endogenous cardioprotection mechanisms and of conditioning strategies.Our laboratories are supported by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain (grant PI-16/00232; RETICS-RIC-RD12/0042/0021 to DGD, co-funded with European Regional Development Fund-FEDER contribution, and grants PI14-00435 and PI17-00576 to PP), by Ministerio de Economía; Industria y Competitividad (MINECO) of Spain (grant SAF2017-84125-R to F.M.); by CIBERCV-Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain (grant CB16/11/00479 to DGD and CB16/11/00278 to F.M, co-funded with European Regional Development Fund-FEDER contribution), and Programa de Actividades en Biomedicina de la Comunidad de Madrid-B2017/BMD-3671-INFLAMUNE to F.M. We also acknowledge institutional support to the CBMSO from Fundación Ramón Areces. This work is dedicated to the memory of our colleague and friend Dr. David García-Dorado, who sadly passed away during the final revision stage of this manuscript

    Cardiac fibroblasts display endurance to ischemia, high ROS control and elevated respiration regulated by the JAK2/STAT pathway

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    Cardiac fibroblast; Cellular respiration; SurvivalFibroblast cardíac; Respiració cel·lular; SupervivènciaFibroblasto cardiaco; Respiración celular; SupervivenciaCardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally and more than four out of five cases are due to ischemic events. Cardiac fibroblasts (CF) contribute to normal heart development and function, and produce the post-ischemic scar. Here, we characterize the biochemical and functional aspects related to CF endurance to ischemia-like conditions. Expression data mining showed that cultured human CF (HCF) express more BCL2 than pulmonary and dermal fibroblasts. In addition, gene set enrichment analysis showed overrepresentation of genes involved in the response to hypoxia and oxidative stress, respiration and Janus kinase (JAK)/Signal transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) signaling pathways in HCF. BCL2 sustained survival and proliferation of cultured rat CF, which also had higher respiration capacity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production than pulmonary and dermal fibroblasts. This was associated with higher expression of the electron transport chain (ETC) and antioxidant enzymes. CF had high phosphorylation of JAK2 and its effectors STAT3 and STAT5, and their inhibition reduced viability and respiration, impaired ROS control and reduced the expression of BCL2, ETC complexes and antioxidant enzymes. Together, our results identify molecular and biochemical mechanisms conferring survival advantage to experimental ischemia in CF and show their control by the JAK2/STAT signaling pathway. The presented data point to potential targets for the regulation of cardiac fibrosis and also open the possibility of a general mechanism by which somatic cells required to acutely respond to ischemia are constitutively adapted to survive it.This research was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICINN), Gobierno de España, grant numbers SAF2013-44942-R and PID2019-104509RB-I00 to DS; Fundació La Marató TV3, grant number 20153810 to D.S; A.B. holds a contract from Fundació La Marató TV3 and IRBLleida/Diputació de Lleida; Generalitat de Catalunya, (AGAUR) grant number 2017SGR996 to DS; PP-G Laboratory support was obtained through research grants from MICINN (SAF2017/88275R) and CIBERONC (CB16/12/00334); JI and MR-M Laboratory support was obtained from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII-FIS) grant PI19-01196; AZ Laboratory support was obtained through research grants from MICINN (PID2019-106209RB-I00), and the Generalitat de Catalunya, (AGAUR) grant number 2017SGR1015. AZ is a recipient of an ICREA ‘Academia’ Award (Generalitat de Catalunya). We gratefully acknowledge institutional funding from the MINECO through the Centres of Excellence Severo Ochoa Award, and from the CERCA Programme of the Generalitat de Catalunya

    Defective dimerization of FoF1-ATP synthase secondary to glycation favors mitochondrial energy deficiency in cardiomyocytes during aging

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    Aging; Dicarbonyl stress; MitochondriaEnvelliment; Estrès dicarbonílic; MitocondrisEnvejecimiento; Estrés dicarbonílico; MitocondriasAged cardiomyocytes develop a mismatch between energy demand and supply, the severity of which determines the onset of heart failure, and become prone to undergo cell death. The FoF1-ATP synthase is the molecular machine that provides >90% of the ATP consumed by healthy cardiomyocytes and is proposed to form the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP), an energy-dissipating channel involved in cell death. We investigated whether aging alters FoF1-ATP synthase self-assembly, a fundamental biological process involved in mitochondrial cristae morphology and energy efficiency, and the functional consequences this may have. Purified heart mitochondria and cardiomyocytes from aging mice displayed an impaired dimerization of FoF1-ATP synthase (blue native and proximity ligation assay), associated with abnormal mitochondrial cristae tip curvature (TEM). Defective dimerization did not modify the in vitro hydrolase activity of FoF1-ATP synthase but reduced the efficiency of oxidative phosphorylation in intact mitochondria (in which membrane architecture plays a fundamental role) and increased cardiomyocytes’ susceptibility to undergo energy collapse by mPTP. High throughput proteomics and fluorescence immunolabeling identified glycation of 5 subunits of FoF1-ATP synthase as the causative mechanism of the altered dimerization. In vitro induction of FoF1-ATP synthase glycation in H9c2 myoblasts recapitulated the age-related defective FoF1-ATP synthase assembly, reduced the relative contribution of oxidative phosphorylation to cell energy metabolism, and increased mPTP susceptibility. These results identify altered dimerization of FoF1-ATP synthase secondary to enzyme glycation as a novel pathophysiological mechanism involved in mitochondrial cristae remodeling, energy deficiency, and increased vulnerability of cardiomyocytes to undergo mitochondrial failure during aging.This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III of the Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS-PI19-01196) and a grant from the Sociedad Española de Cardiología (SEC/FEC-INV-BAS 217003

    Spontaneous reperfusion enhances succinate concentration in peripheral blood from stemi patients but its levels does not correlate with myocardial infarct size or area at risk

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    Cardiovascular biology; Diagnostic markers; Prognostic markersBiología cardiovascular; Marcadores de diagnóstico; Marcadores pronósticosBiologia cardiovascular; Marcadors diagnòstics; Marcadors pronòsticsSuccinate is enhanced during initial reperfusion in blood from the coronary sinus in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients and in pigs submitted to transient coronary occlusion. Succinate levels might have a prognostic value, as they may correlate with edema volume or myocardial infarct size. However, blood from the coronary sinus is not routinely obtained in the CathLab. As succinate might be also increased in peripheral blood, we aimed to investigate whether peripheral plasma concentrations of succinate and other metabolites obtained during coronary revascularization correlate with edema volume or infarct size in STEMI patients. Plasma samples were obtained from peripheral blood within the first 10 min of revascularization in 102 STEMI patients included in the COMBAT-MI trial (initial TIMI 1) and from 9 additional patients with restituted coronary blood flow (TIMI 2). Metabolite concentrations were analyzed by 1H-NMR. Succinate concentration averaged 0.069 ± 0.0073 mmol/L in patients with TIMI flow ≤ 1 and was significantly increased in those with TIMI 2 at admission (0.141 ± 0.058 mmol/L, p < 0.05). However, regression analysis did not detect any significant correlation between most metabolite concentrations and infarct size, extent of edema or other cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) variables. In conclusion, spontaneous reperfusion in TIMI 2 patients associates with enhanced succinate levels in peripheral blood, suggesting that succinate release increases overtime following reperfusion. However, early plasma levels of succinate and other metabolites obtained from peripheral blood does not correlate with the degree of irreversible injury or area at risk in STEMI patients, and cannot be considered as predictors of CMR variables. Trial registration: Registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02404376) on 31/03/2015. EudraCT number: 2015-001000-58.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Grants PI17/01397 and CIBERCV) and the Spanish Society of Cardiology (Proyectos de la FEC para Investigación Básica en Cardiología 2018, Sociedad Española de Cardiología), and was cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF-FEDER, a way to build Europe). Antonio Rodríguez-Sinovas has a consolidated Miguel Servet contract

    Executioner Caspase-3 and 7 Deficiency Reduces Myocyte Number in the Developing Mouse Heart

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    Executioner caspase-3 and -7 are proteases promoting cell death but non-apoptotic roles are being discovered. The heart expresses caspases only during development, suggesting they contribute to the organ maturation process. Therefore, we aimed at identifying novel functions of caspases in heart development. We induced simultaneous deletion of executioner caspase-3 and -7 in the mouse myocardium and studied its effects. Caspase knockout hearts are hypoplastic at birth, reaching normal weight progressively through myocyte hypertrophy. To identify the molecular pathways involved in these effects, we used microarray-based transcriptomics and multiplexed quantitative proteomics to compare wild type and executioner caspase-deficient myocardium at different developmental stages. Transcriptomics showed reduced expression of genes promoting DNA replication and cell cycle progression in the neonatal caspase-deficient heart suggesting reduced myocyte proliferation, and expression of non-cardiac isoforms of structural proteins in the adult null myocardium. Proteomics showed reduced abundance of proteins involved in oxidative phosphorylation accompanied by increased abundance of glycolytic enzymes underscoring retarded metabolic maturation of the caspase-null myocardium. Correlation between mRNA expression and protein abundance of relevant genes was confirmed, but transcriptomics and proteomics indentified complementary molecular pathways influenced by caspases in the developing heart. Forced expression of wild type or proteolytically inactive caspases in cultured cardiomyocytes induced expression of genes promoting cell division. The results reveal that executioner caspases can modulate heart’s cellularity and maturation during development, contributing novel information about caspase biology and heart development

    Cardiac fibroblasts display endurance to ischemia, high ROS control and elevated respiration regulated by the JAK2/STAT pathway

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    Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally and more than four out of five cases are due to ischemic events. Cardiac fibroblasts (CF) contribute to normal heart development and function, and produce the post-ischemic scar. Here, we characterize the biochemical and functional aspects related to CF endurance to ischemia-like conditions. Expression data mining showed that cultured human CF (HCF) express more BCL2 than pulmonary and dermal fibroblasts. In addition, gene set enrichment analysis showed overrepresentation of genes involved in the response to hypoxia and oxidative stress, respiration and Janus kinase (JAK)/Signal transducer and Activator of Transcription (STAT) signaling pathways in HCF. BCL2 sustained survival and proliferation of cultured rat CF, which also had higher respiration capacity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production than pulmonary and dermal fibroblasts. This was associated with higher expression of the electron transport chain (ETC) and antioxidant enzymes. CF had high phosphorylation of JAK2 and its effectors STAT3 and STAT5, and their inhibition reduced viability and respiration, impaired ROS control and reduced the expression of BCL2, ETC complexes and antioxidant enzymes. Together, our results identify molecular and biochemical mechanisms conferring survival advantage to experimental ischemia in CF and show their control by the JAK2/STAT signaling pathway. The presented data point to potential targets for the regulation of cardiac fibrosis and also open the possibility of a general mechanism by which somatic cells required to acutely respond to ischemia are constitutively adapted to survive it.This research was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia eInnovación (MICINN), Gobierno de España, grant numbers SAF2013-44942-R and PID2019-104509RB-I00 to DS; Fundació La Marató TV3, grant number 20153810 to D.S; A.B. holds a contract from FundacióLa Marató TV3 and IRBLleida/Diputació de Lleida; Generalitat de Catalunya, (AGAUR) grant number 2017SGR996 to DS; PP-G Laboratory support wasobtained through research grants from MICINN(SAF2017/88275R) and CIBERONC (CB16/12/00334);JI and MR-M Laboratory support was obtained from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII-FIS) grant PI19-01196; AZ Laboratory support was obtained throughresearch grants from MICINN (PID2019-106209RB-I00), and the Generalitat de Catalunya, (AGAUR) grant number 2017SGR1015. AZ is a recipient of an ICREA ‘Academia’ Award (Generalitat de Catalunya).We gratefully acknowledge institutional funding fromthe MINECO through the Centres of Excellence Severo Ochoa Award, and from the CERCA Programme of the Generalitat de Cataluny
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