123 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

    Activation of cGMP/Protein Kinase G Pathway in Postconditioned Myocardium Depends on Reduced Oxidative Stress and Preserved Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Coupling

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    Altres ajuts: Redes Temáticas de Investigación Cooperativa Sanitaria (RETICS-RECAVA RD06/0014/0025); Comisión Interministerial en Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT SAF/2008-03067); and Fondo Investigación Sanitaria (FIS-PI121738).The cGMP/protein kinase G (PKG) pathway is involved in the cardioprotective effects of postconditioning (PoCo). Although PKG signaling in PoCo has been proposed to depend on the activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt cascade, recent data bring into question a causal role of reperfusion injury signaling kinase (RISK) in PoCo protection. We hypothesized that PoCo increases PKG activity by reducing oxidative stress-induced endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS) uncoupling at the onset of reperfusion. Isolated rat hearts were submitted to 40 minutes of ischemia and reperfusion with and without a PoCo protocol. PoCo reduced infarct size by 48% and cGMP depletion. Blockade of cGMP synthesis (1 H -[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3- a ]quinoxalin-1-one) and inhibition of PKG (KT5823) or NOS (l-NAME) abolished protection, but inhibition of PI3K/Akt cascade (LY294002) did not (n=5 to 7 per group). Phosphorylation of the RISK pathway was higher in PoCo hearts. However, this difference is due to increased cell death in control hearts because in hearts reperfused with the contractile inhibitor blebbistatin, a drug effective in preventing cell death at the onset of reperfusion, RISK phosphorylation increased during reperfusion without differences between control and PoCo groups. In these hearts, PoCo reduced the production of superoxide (O −) and protein nitrotyrosylation and increased nitrate/nitrite levels in parallel with a significant decrease in the oxidation of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH) and in the monomeric form of endothelial NOS. These results demonstrate that PoCo activates the cGMP/PKG pathway via a mechanism independent of the PI3K/Akt cascade and dependent on the reduction of O − production at the onset of reperfusion, resulting in attenuated oxidation of BH and reduced NOS uncoupling

    Connexin 43 deficiency is associated with reduced myocardial scar size and attenuated tgfβ1 signaling after transient coronary occlusion in conditional knock-out mice

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    Funding: This research was funded by Fundació La Marató de TV3 (n◦. 201536-10) and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CIBERCV), cofinanced by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF-FEDER, a way to build Europe). Antonio Rodríguez-Sinovas has a consolidated Miguel Servet contract.Previous studies demonstrated a reduction in myocardial scar size in heterozygous Cx43-mice subjected to permanent coronary occlusion. However, patients presenting with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction often undergo rapid coronary revascularization leading to prompt restoration of coronary flow. Therefore, we aimed to assess changes in scar size and left ventricular remodeling following transient myocardial ischemia (45 min) followed by 14 days of reperfusion using Cx43 (controls) and Cx43 inducible knock-out (Cx43 content: 50%) mice treated with vehicle or 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT) to induce a Cre-ER(T)-mediated global deletion of the Cx43 floxed allele. The scar area (picrosirius red), measured 14 days after transient coronary occlusion, was similarly reduced in both vehicle and 4-OHT-treated Cx43 mice, compared to Cx43 animals, having normal Cx43 levels (15.78% ± 3.42% and 16.54% ± 2.31% vs. 25.40% ± 3.14% and 22.43% ± 3.88% in vehicle and 4-OHT-treated mice, respectively, p = 0.027). Left ventricular dilatation was significantly attenuated in both Cx43-deficient groups (p = 0.037 for left ventricular end-diastolic diameter). These protective effects were correlated with an attenuated enhancement in pro-transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1) expression after reperfusion. In conclusion, our data demonstrate that Cx43 deficiency induces a protective effect on scar formation after transient coronary occlusion in mice, an effect associated with reduced left ventricular remodeling and attenuated enhancement in pro-TGFβ1 expression

    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

    Mammalian TatD DNase domain containing 1 (TATDN1) is a proteostasis-responsive gene with roles in ventricular structure and neuromuscular function

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    Cardiomyopathy; Motor control; NeurobehaviorCardiomiopatía; Control motor; NeuroconductaCardiomiopatia; Control motor; NeuroconductaThe characterization of highly conserved but poorly understood genes often reveals unexpected biological roles, advancing our understanding of disease mechanisms. One such gene is Mammalian TatD DNase domain containing 1 (Tatdn1), the mammalian homolog of bacterial Twin-arginine translocation D (TatD), a protein proposed to have roles either in DNA degradation or protein quality control in unicellular organisms. Despite its association with different pathologies, including several cancer types and cardiovascular diseases, the role of TATDN1 in mammals remains unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that Tatdn1 encodes a cytoplasmic protein that does not participate in DNA degradation but is upregulated in cells under proteostasis stress. Tatdn1-deficient mice exhibit dysregulated expression of genes involved in membrane and extracellular protein biology, along with mild dilated cardiomyopathy and impaired motor coordination. These findings identify TATDN1 as a key player in cytosolic processes linked to protein homeostasis, with significant physiological implications for cardiac and neurological function.This research was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Gobierno de España, grant numbers PID2019-104509RB-I00 and PID2022-139965OB-100 to DS; Fundació La Marató TV3, grant number 20153810 to DS; AGAUR, Generalitat de Catalunya, grant number 2014-SGR-1609 to DS and JXC; GB holds a contract from the University of Lleida; AB holds a contract from Fundació La Marató TV3 and IRBLleida/Diputació de Lleida. SGC is the recipient of a FI Joan Oró contract from the Generalitat de Catalunya and co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus (FSE+) (AGAUR_2024_FI-1_00908) and AG is a Ramón y Cajal fellow (RYC-2016-19466) supported by a grant from Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (PID2021-122258OB-I00). We thank the personnel of the University of Lleida Experimental Animal Service and Roser Pané for their technical assistance at IRBLleida and Ana López (María de Maeztu Unit of Excellence, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, MDM-2017-0729, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades) for technical support. We thank Dimitri Shcherbakov (Institut fur Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Universitat Zurich, Switzerland.) for his kind gift of HEK293 WT and RPS9 D95N mutant cells. JI and MRM are funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (PI19-01196 and PI20-01681), CIBER-CV, and the European Regional Development Fundings (ERDF-FEDER). Work at The Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research (CPR) is funded in part by a generous donation from the Novo Nordisk Foundation (Grant number NNF14CC0001) and from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement EPIC-XS-823839

    Efficacy of a cysteine protease inhibitor compared with enalapril in murine heart failure models

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    Cardiovascular medicine; Cell biologyMedicina cardiovascular; Biologia cel·lularMedicina cardiovascular; Biología celularCysteine proteases calpains contribute to heart failure (HF), but it remains unknown whether their inhibition provides any benefit compared to standard pharmacological treatment for HF. Here, we characterize the pharmacological properties of NPO-2270 (NPO) as a potent inhibitor of cysteine proteases. Then, we describe that acute administration of NPO in rodent models of transient ischemia at the time of reperfusion reduces myocardial infarction, while its chronic oral administration attenuates adverse remodeling and cardiac dysfunction induced by ischemic and non-ischemic pathological stimuli more effectively than enalapril when given at the same dose. Finally, we provide evidence showing that the effects of NPO correlate with calpain inhibition and the preservation of the T-tubule morphology, due at least in part to reduced cleavage of the calpain substrate junctophilin-2. Together, our data highlight the potential of cysteine protease inhibition with NPO as a therapeutic strategy for the treatment of heart failure.This work was funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Spain, through the projects AES PI20/01681 and AES PI23/00068; and the research network CIBERCV (CB16/11/00479), both cofunded by European Regional Development Fund; Sociedad Española de Cardiología (SEC/FEC-INV-BAS 22/013); Fundació la Marató de TV3 (FLMTV3/202321-30-31) and PERIS STL/484/2023. Long-Sheng Song is supported by the National Institutes of Health of USA

    Aging Impairs Reverse Remodeling and Recovery of Ventricular Function after Isoproterenol-Induced Cardiomyopathy

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    Abstract: Information about heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) in women and the potential effects of aging in the female heart is scarce. We investigated the vulnerability to develop HFrEF in female elderly mice compared to young animals, as well as potential differences in reverse remodeling. First, HF was induced by isoproterenol infusion (30 mg/kg/day, 28 days) in young (10-week-old) and elderly (22-month-old) female mice. In a second set of animals, mice underwent isoproterenol infusion followed by no treatment during 28 additional days. Cardiac remodeling was assessed by echocardiography, histology and gene expression of collagen-I and collagen-III. Following isoproterenol infusion, elderly mice developed similar HFrEF features compared to young animals, except for greater cell hypertrophy and tissue fibrosis. After beta-adrenergic withdrawal, young female mice experienced complete reversal of the HFrEF phenotype. Conversely, reversed remodeling was impaired in elderly animals, with no significant recovery of LV ejection fraction, cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and collagen deposition. In conclusion, chronic isoproterenol infusion is a valid HF model for elderly and young female mice and induces a similar HF phenotype in both. Elderly animals, unlike young, show impaired reverse remodeling, with persistent tissue fibrosis and cardiac dysfunction even after beta-adrenergic withdrawal
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