Effects of chronic hypoxia on myocardial gene expression and function

Abstract Molecular oxygen is a prerequisite for essential metabolic processes in multicellular organisms. However, the supply of oxygen can be disturbed and tissue aerobic metabolism becomes compromised in several pathophysiological conditions. In prolonged hypoxia, cells initiate cell type-specific adaptation processes, which are typically mediated by alterations in gene expression. Changes are mainly driven by a transcription factor called hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1). Heart muscle is a highly oxidative tissue and HIF-1 activation turns on myocardial adaptation mechanisms for enhanced survival in oxygen-deprived conditions. The aim of this study was to characterize myocardial gene expression changes during chronic hypoxia and couple the adaptational changes to cardiomyocyte function. The role of hypoxia and HIF-1 activation was studied by using in vitro mouse and rat heart cell culture models, tissue perfusions and in vivo infarction models. In this study, apelin, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA2a) and G protein-coupled receptor 35 (GPR35) were characterized as novel functionally important myocardial HIF-1 target genes. Apelin and GPR35 were induced in hypoxia, while SERCA2a expression was reduced HIF-1 dependently. HIF-1 activation also altered cardiac myocyte contractility through modulation of SERCA2a and GPR35 expression, leading to impairment of the cellular calcium metabolism. Reduced contractility was suggested to serve as an adaptive mechanism for reduced aerobic ATP production in hypoxic conditions. This study presents novel information about the plasticity of myocardial adaptation to prolonged hypoxia. The role of a conserved transcription factor, HIF-1, was shown to be essential in the adaptation process in the myocardial cells.Tiivistelmä Riittävä hapensaanti on välttämätöntä monisoluisten eliöiden elintoiminnoille. Hapensaanti voi kuitenkin häiriintyä erilaisissa tautitiloissa, jolloin happea käyttävät prosessit estyvät. Hapenpuutteen (hypoksia) pitkittyessä elimistön solut aloittavat sopeutumisen tilanteeseen muuttamalla toimintaansa geenien ilmentymismuutosten kautta. Adaptaatiota ohjaa pääasiassa hypoksia-indusoituva tekijä 1 (HIF-1). Sydän käyttää runsaasti happea energiantuotannossaan. Hapenpuutteen aikana HIF-1-transkriptiotekijä muuttaa sydämen geenien ilmentymistä siten, että sydänsolut selviävät paremmin happivajaissa olosuhteissa. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli määrittää sydämen geenien ilmentymisen hapenpuutevasteita ja yhdistää muutokset sydänsolujen toiminnallisiin muutoksiin. Hapenpuutteen ja HIF-1:n merkitystä sopeutumisessa tutkittiin käyttäen malleina rotan ja hiiren sydänsoluviljelmiä, in vitro-kudosperfuusiomalleja sekä in vivo-sydäninfarktimalleja. Tässä työssä havaittiin apeliinin, sarkoplasmisen kalvoston Ca2+-ATPaasin (SERCA2a) sekä G-proteiinikytketyn reseptori 35:n olevan toiminnallisesti tärkeitä HIF-1:n säätelemiä geenejä sydämessä. Apeliinin sekä GPR35:n ilmentyminen lisääntyi hypoksian aikana, mutta SERCA2a:n ilmentyminen sen sijaan väheni HIF-1 –aktivaation seurauksena. HIF-1 –aktivaation osoitettiin myös vähentävän sydänsolujen supistustoimintaa muuttuneiden SERCA2a:n ja GPR35:n ilmentymisten kautta. Heikentynyt supistustoiminta sopeuttaa soluja vähentyneeseen aerobiseen ATP:n tuottoon hapenpuutteen aikana. Tämä tutkimus antaa lisätietoa sydämen sopeutumiskyvyn mukautumisesta pitkittyneeseen hapenpuutteeseen. Lisäksi tutkimus osoittaa HIF-1:n roolin olevan oleellinen myös sydänsolujen hypoksia-adaptaatioprosesseissa

Local Ca2+ releases enable rapid heart rates in developing cardiomyocytes

The ability to generate homogeneous intracellular Ca2+ oscillations at high frequency is the basis of the rhythmic contractions of mammalian cardiac myocytes. While the specific mechanisms and structures enabling homogeneous high-frequency Ca2+ signals in adult cardiomyocytes are well characterized, it is not known how these kind of Ca2+ signals are produced in developing cardiomyocytes. Here we investigated the mechanisms reducing spatial and temporal heterogeneity of cytosolic Ca2+ signals in mouse embryonic ventricular cardiomyocytes. We show that in developing cardiomyocytes the propagating Ca2+ signals are amplified in cytosol by local Ca2+ releases. Local releases are based on regular 3-D sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) structures containing SR Ca2+ uptake ATPases (SERCA) and Ca2+ release channels (ryanodine receptors, RyRs) at regular intervals throughout the cytosol. By evoking [Ca2+]i-induced Ca2+ sparks, the local release sites promote a 3-fold increase in the cytosolic Ca2+ propagation speed. We further demonstrate by mathematical modelling that without these local release sites the developing cardiomyocytes lose their ability to generate homogeneous global Ca2+ signals at a sufficiently high frequency. The mechanism described here is robust and indispensable for normal mammalian cardiomyocyte function from the first heartbeats during the early embryonic phase till terminal differentiation after birth. These results suggest that local cytosolic Ca2+ releases are indispensable for normal cardiomyocyte development and function of developing heart

Transmembrane Prolyl 4-Hydroxylase is a Novel Regulator of Calcium Signaling in Astrocytes

Prolyl 4-hydroxylases (P4Hs) have vital roles in regulating collagen synthesis and hypoxia response. A trans membrane P4H (P4H-TM) is a recently identified member of the family. Biallelic loss of function P4H-TM mutations cause a severe autosomal recessive intellectual disability syndrome in humans, but functions of P4H-TM are essentially unknown at cellular level. Our microarray data on P4h-tm(-/-) mouse cortexes where P4H-TM is abundantly expressed indicated expression changes in genes involved in calcium signaling and expression of several calcium sequestering ATPases was upregulated in P4h-tm(-/-) primary mouse astrocytes. Cytosolic and intraorganellar calcium imaging of P4h-tm(-/-) cells revealed that receptor-operated calcium entry (ROCE) and store-operated calcium entry (SOCE) and calcium re-uptake by mitochondria were compromised. HIF1, but not HIF2, was found to be a key mediator of the P4H-TM effect on calcium signaling. Furthermore, total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) imaging showed that calcium agonist-induced gliotransmission was attenuated in P4h-tm(-/-) astrocytes. This phenotype was accompanied by redistribution of mitochondria from distal processes to central parts of the cell body and decreased intracellular ATP content. Our data show that P4H-TM is a novel regulator of calcium dynamics and gliotransmission.Peer reviewe

Trisk 95 as a novel skin mirror for normal and diabetic systemic glucose level

International audienceDeveloping trustworthy, cost effective, minimally or non-invasive glucose sensing strategies is of great need for diabetic patients. In this study, we used an experimental type I diabetic mouse model to examine whether the skin would provide novel means for identifying biomarkers associated with blood glucose level. We first showed that skin glucose levels are rapidly influenced by blood glucose concentrations. We then conducted a proteomic screen of murine skin using an experimental in vivo model of type I diabetes and wild-type controls. Among the proteins that increased expression in response to high blood glucose, Trisk 95 expression was significantly induced independently of insulin signalling. A luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that the induction of Trisk 95 expression occurs at a transcriptional level and is associated with a marked elevation in the Fluo-4AM signal, suggesting a role for intracellular calcium changes in the signalling cascade. Strikingly, these changes lead concurrently to fragmentation of the mitochondria. Moreover, Trisk 95 knockout abolishes both the calcium flux and the mitochondrial phenotype changes indicating dependency of glucose flux in the skin on Trisk 95 function. The data demonstrate that the skin reacts robustly to systemic blood changes, and that Trisk 95 is a promising biomarker for a glucose monitoring assembly

Gap junctional communication is involved in differentiation of osteoclasts from bone marrow and peripheral blood monocytes

Abstract Aims: The aim of the study was to compare the influence of gap junctional communication (GJC) in osteoclastogenesis from bone marrow (BM) and peripheral blood (PB) monocytes. These widely used sources differ in purity, since BM cultures contain a significant number of stromal cells. We studied whether stimulation of GJC in BM monocyte/stromal cell cultures differs from the effect in pure PB monocyte cultures. We compared the differentiation also in acidosis, which is a known inducer of bone resorption. Main methods:: Human BM and PB monocytes were isolated from BM aspirates or whole blood samples. The cells were cultured on human bone slices with osteoclastogenic growth factors and a GJC modulator, antiarrhythmic peptide AAP10, at physiological and acidic pH. Key findings:: Both BM and PB monocytes differentiated into osteoclasts. Acidosis increased resorption in both cultures but stimulated cell fusion only in BM cultures, which demonstrates the role of stromal cells in osteoclastogenesis. At physiological pH, AAP10 increased the number of multinuclear cells and bone resorption in both BM and PB cultures indicating that GJC is involved in differentiation in both of these osteoclastogenesis assays. Interestingly, in PB cultures at pH 6.5 the stimulation of GJC with AAP10 inhibited both osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption suggesting a different role of GJC in BM and PB monocytes at stressed environment. Significance: The study is conducted with primary human tissue samples and adds new knowledge on factors affecting osteoclastogenesis from different monocyte sources

Human phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase domain-containing 1 (PHYHD1) is a putative oxygen sensor associated with RNA and carbohydrate metabolism

Abstract Human phytanoyl-CoA dioxygenase domain-containing 1 (PHYHD1) is a 2-oxoglutarate (2OG)-dependent dioxygenase implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, some cancers, and immune cell functions. The substrate, kinetic and inhibitory properties, function and subcellular localization of PHYHD1 are unknown. We used recombinant expression and enzymatic, biochemical, biophysical, cellular and microscopic assays for their determination. The apparent Km values of PHYHD1 for 2OG, Fe²⁺ and O₂ were 27, 6 and > 200 μm, respectively. PHYHD1 activity was tested in the presence of 2OG analogues, and it was found to be inhibited by succinate and fumarate but not R-2-hydroxyglutarate, whereas citrate acted as an allosteric activator. PHYHD1 bound mRNA, but its catalytic activity was inhibited upon interaction. PHYHD1 was found both in the nucleus and cytoplasm. Interactome analyses linked PHYHD1 to cell division and RNA metabolism, while phenotype analyses linked it to carbohydrate metabolism. Thus, PHYHD1 is a potential novel oxygen sensor regulated by mRNA and citrate