Microarray analysis of gene expression profiles of cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts after mechanical stress, ionising or ultraviolet radiation

BACKGROUND: During excessive pressure or volume overload, cardiac cells are subjected to increased mechanical stress (MS). We set out to investigate how the stress response of cardiac cells to MS can be compared to genotoxic stresses induced by DNA damaging agents. We chose for this purpose to use ionising radiation (IR), which during mediastinal radiotherapy can result in cardiac tissue remodelling and diminished heart function, and ultraviolet radiation (UV) that in contrast to IR induces high concentrations of DNA replication- and transcription-blocking lesions. RESULTS: Cultures enriched for neonatal rat cardiac myocytes (CM) or fibroblasts were subjected to any one of the three stressors. Affymetrix microarrays, analysed with Linear Modelling on Probe Level, were used to determine gene expression patterns at 24 hours after (the start of) treatment. The numbers of differentially expressed genes after UV were considerably higher than after IR or MS. Remarkably, after all three stressors the predominant gene expression response in CM-enriched fractions was up-regulation, while in fibroblasts genes were more frequently down-regulated. To investigate the activation or repression of specific cellular pathways, genes present on the array were assigned to 25 groups, based on their biological function. As an example, in the group of cholesterol biosynthesis a significant proportion of genes was up-regulated in CM-enriched fractions after MS, but down-regulated after IR or UV. CONCLUSION: Gene expression responses after the types of cellular stress investigated (MS, IR or UV) have a high stressor and cell type specificity

Cellular and Behavioral Effects of Cranial Irradiation of the Subventricular Zone in Adult Mice

Background: In mammals, new neurons are added to the olfactory bulb (OB) throughout life. Most of these new neurons, granule and periglomerular cells originate from the subventricular zone (SVZ) lining the lateral ventricles and migrate via the rostral migratory stream toward the OB. Thousands of new neurons appear each day, but the function of this ongoing neurogenesis remains unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings: In this study, we irradiated adult mice to impair constitutive OB neurogenesis, and explored the functional impacts of this irradiation on the sense of smell. We found that focal irradiation of the SVZ greatly decreased the rate of production of new OB neurons, leaving other brain areas intact. This effect persisted for up to seven months after exposure to 15 Gray. Despite this robust impairment, the thresholds for detecting pure odorant molecules and short-term olfactory memory were not affected by irradiation. Similarly, the ability to distinguish between odorant molecules and the odorant-guided social behavior of irradiated mice were not affected by the decrease in the number of new neurons. Only long-term olfactory memory was found to be sensitive to SVZ irradiation. Conclusion/Significance: These findings suggest that the continuous production of adult-generated neurons is involved i

New roles for renin and prorenin in heart failure and cardiorenal crosstalk

The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone-system (RAAS) plays a central role in the pathophysiology of heart failure and cardiorenal interaction. Drugs interfering in the RAAS form the pillars in treatment of heart failure and cardiorenal syndrome. Although RAAS inhibitors improve prognosis, heart failure–associated morbidity and mortality remain high, especially in the presence of kidney disease. The effect of RAAS blockade may be limited due to the loss of an inhibitory feedback of angiotensin II on renin production. The subsequent increase in prorenin and renin may activate several alternative pathways. These include the recently discovered (pro-) renin receptor, angiotensin II escape via chymase and cathepsin, and the formation of various angiotensin subforms upstream from the blockade, including angiotensin 1–7, angiotensin III, and angiotensin IV. Recently, the direct renin inhibitor aliskiren has been proven effective in reducing plasma renin activity (PRA) and appears to provide additional (tissue) RAAS blockade on top of angiotensin-converting enzyme and angiotensin receptor blockers, underscoring the important role of renin, even (or more so) under adequate RAAS blockade. Reducing PRA however occurs at the expense of an increase plasma renin concentration (PRC). PRC may exert direct effects independent of PRA through the recently discovered (pro-) renin receptor. Additional novel possibilities to interfere in the RAAS, for instance using vitamin D receptor activation, as well as the increased knowledge on alternative pathways, have revived the question on how ideal RAAS-guided therapy should be implemented. Renin and prorenin are pivotal since these are at the base of all of these pathways

Renal and cardiac endothelial heterogeneity impact acute vascular rejection in pig-to-baboon xenotransplantation

Xenograft outcomes are dictated by xenoantigen expression, for example, Gal alpha1, 3Gal (Gal), but might also depend on differing vascular responses. We investigated whether differential vascular gene expression in kidney and cardiac xenografts correlate with development of thrombotic microangiopathy (TM) and consumptive coagulation (CC). Immunosuppressed baboons underwent miniswine or hDAF pig kidney (n = 6) or heart (n = 7), or Gal-transferase gene-knockout (GalT-KO) (thymo)kidney transplantation (n = 14). Porcine cDNA miniarrays determined donor proinflammatory, apoptosis-related and vascular coagulant/fibrinolytic gene expression at defined time points; validated by mRNA, protein levels and immunopathology. hDAF-transgenic and GalT-KO xenografts, (particularly thymokidneys) exhibited prolonged survival. CC was seen with Gal-expressing porcine kidneys (3 of 6), only 1 of 7 baboons postcardiac xenotransplantation and was infrequent following GalT-KO grafts (1 of 14). Protective-type genes (heme oxygenase-I, superoxide dismutases and CD39) together with von Willebrand factor and P-selectin were upregulated in all renal grafts. Transcriptional responses in Gal-expressing xenografts were comparable to those seen in the infrequent GalT-KO rejection. In cardiac xenografts, fibrin deposition was associated with increased plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 expression establishing that gene expression profiles in renal and cardiac xenografts differ in a quantitative manner. These findings suggest that therapeutic targets may differ for renal and cardiac xenotransplants

Gata4 is required for maintenance of postnatal cardiac function and protection from pressure overload-induced heart failure

An important event in the pathogenesis of heart failure is the development of pathological cardiac hypertrophy. In cultured cardiomyocytes, the transcription factor Gata4 is required for agonist-induced hypertrophy. We hypothesized that, in the intact organism, Gata4 is an important regulator of postnatal heart function and of the hypertrophic response of the heart to pathological stress. To test this hypothesis, we studied mice heterozygous for deletion of the second exon of Gata4 (G4D). At baseline, G4D mice had mild systolic and diastolic dysfunction associated with reduced heart weight and decreased cardiomyocyte number. After transverse aortic constriction (TAC), G4D mice developed overt heart failure and eccentric cardiac hypertrophy, associated with significantly increased fibrosis and cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Inhibition of apoptosis by overexpression of the insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor prevented TAC-induced heart failure in G4D mice. Unlike WT-TAC controls, G4D-TAC cardiomyocytes hypertrophied by increasing in length more than width. Gene expression profiling revealed up-regulation of genes associated with apoptosis and fibrosis, including members of the TGF-β pathway. Our data demonstrate that Gata4 is essential for cardiac function in the postnatal heart. After pressure overload, Gata4 regulates the pattern of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and protects the heart from load-induced failure