Functional and morphological preservation of adult ventricular myocytes in culture by sub-micromolar cytochalasin D supplement

Effects of electro-mechanical uncouplers, hormonal stimulation and pacing rate on the stability and function of cultured rabbit myocardial slices

Introduction: Recent advances have enabled organotypic culture of beating human myocardial slices that are stable for weeks. However, human myocardial samples are rare, exhibit high variability and frequently originate from diseased hearts. Thus, there is a need to adapt long-term slice culture for animal myocardium. When applied to animal cardiac slices, studies in healthy or genetically modified myocardium will be possible. We present the culture of slices from rabbit hearts, which resemble the human heart in microstructure, electrophysiology and excitation-contraction coupling. Methods: Left ventricular myocardium from New Zealand White rabbits was cut using a vibratome and cultured in biomimetic chambers for up to 7 days (d). Electro-mechanical uncoupling agents 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM) and cytochalasin D (CytoD) were added during initiation of culture and effects on myocyte survival were quantified. We investigated pacing rates (0.5 Hz, 1 Hz, and 2 Hz) and hormonal supplements (cortisol, T3, catecholamines) at physiological plasma concentrations. T3 was buffered using BSA. Contractile force was recorded continuously. Glucose consumption and lactate production were measured. Whole-slice Ca2+ transients and action potentials were recorded. Effects of culture on microstructure were investigated with confocal microscopy and image analysis. Results: Protocols for human myocardial culture resulted in sustained contracture and myocyte death in rabbit slices within 24 h, which could be prevented by transient application of a combination of BDM and CytoD. Cortisol stabilized contraction amplitude and kinetics in culture. T3 and catecholaminergic stimulation did not further improve stability. T3 and higher pacing rates increased metabolic rate and lactate production. T3 stabilized the response to β-adrenergic stimulation over 7 d. Pacing rates above 1 Hz resulted in progredient decline in contraction force. Image analysis revealed no changes in volume fractions of cardiomyocytes or measures of fibrosis over 7 d. Ca2+ transient amplitudes and responsiveness to isoprenaline were comparable after 1 d and 7 d, while Ca2+ transient duration was prolonged after 7 d in culture. Conclusions: A workflow for rabbit myocardial culture has been established, preserving function for up to 7 d. This research underscores the importance of glucocorticoid signaling in maintaining tissue function and extending culture duration. Furthermore, BDM and CytoD appear to protect from tissue damage during the initiation phase of tissue culture.

E3 ubiquitin ligase rififylin has yin and yang effects on rabbit cardiac transient outward potassium currents (Ito) and corresponding channel proteins

Genome-wide association studies have reported a correlation between a SNP of the RING finger E3 ubiquitin protein ligase rififylin (RFFL) and QT interval variability in humans (Newton-Cheh et al., 2009). Previously, we have shown that RFFL downregulates expression and function of the human-like ether-a-go-go-related gene potassium channel and corresponding rapidly activating delayed rectifier potassium current (IKr) in adult rabbit ventricular cardiomyocytes. Here, we report that RFFL also affects the transient outward current (Ito), but in a peculiar way. RFFL overexpression in adult rabbit ventricular cardiomyocytes significantly decreases the contribution of its fast component (Ito,f) from 35% to 21% and increases the contribution of its slow component (Ito,s) from 65% to 79%. Since Ito,f in rabbits is mainly conducted by Kv4.3, we investigated the effect of RFFL on Kv4.3 expressed in HEK293A cells. We found that RFFL overexpression reduced Kv4.3 expression and corresponding Ito,f in a RING domain-dependent manner in the presence or absence of its accessory subunit Kv channel-interacting protein 2. On the other hand, RFFL overexpression in Kv1.4-expressing HEK cells leads to an increase in both Kv1.4 expression level and Ito,s, similarly in a RING domain-dependent manner. Our physiologically detailed rabbit ventricular myocyte computational model shows that these yin and yang effects of RFFL overexpression on Ito,f, and Ito,s affect phase 1 of the action potential waveform and slightly decrease its duration in addition to suppressing IKr. Thus, RFFL modifies cardiac repolarization reserve via ubiquitination of multiple proteins that differently affect various potassium channels and cardiac action potential duration.

Comparing the effects of chemical Ca2+ dyes and R-GECO on contractility and Ca2+ transients in adult and human iPSC cardiomyocytes

We compared commonly used BAPTA-derived chemical Ca2+ dyes (fura2, Fluo-4, and Rhod-2) with a newer genetically encoded indicator (R-GECO) in single cell models of the heart. We assessed their performance and effects on cardiomyocyte contractility, determining fluorescent signal-to-noise ratios and sarcomere shortening in primary ventricular myocytes from adult mouse and guinea pig, and in human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. Chemical Ca2+ dyes displayed dose-dependent contractile impairment in all cell types, and we observed a negative correlation between contraction and fluorescence signal-to-noise ratio, particularly for fura2 and Fluo-4. R-GECO had no effect on sarcomere shortening. BAPTA-based dyes, but not R-GECO, inhibited in vitro acto-myosin ATPase activity. The presence of fura2 accentuated or diminished changes in contractility and Ca2+ handling caused by small molecule modulators of contractility and intracellular ionic homeostasis (mavacamten, levosimendan, and flecainide), but this was not observed when using R-GECO in adult guinea pig left ventricular cardiomyocytes. Ca2+ handling studies are necessary for cardiotoxicity assessments of small molecules intended for clinical use. Caution should be exercised when interpreting small molecule studies assessing contractile effects and Ca2+ transients derived from BAPTA-like chemical Ca2+ dyes in cellular assays, a common platform for cardiac toxicology testing and mechanistic investigation of cardiac disease physiology and treatment.

Three-Week-Old Rabbit Ventricular Cardiomyocytes as a Novel System to Study Cardiac Excitation and EC Coupling

Cardiac arrhythmias significantly contribute to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The rabbit heart serves as an accepted model system for studying cardiac cell excitation and arrhythmogenicity. Accordingly, primary cultures of adult rabbit ventricular cardiomyocytes serve as a preferable model to study molecular mechanisms of human cardiac excitation. However, the use of adult rabbit cardiomyocytes is often regarded as excessively costly. Therefore, we developed and characterized a novel low-cost rabbit cardiomyocyte model, namely, 3-week-old ventricular cardiomyocytes (3wRbCMs). Ventricular myocytes were isolated from whole ventricles of 3-week-old New Zealand White rabbits of both sexes by standard enzymatic techniques. Using wheat germ agglutinin, we found a clear T-tubule structure in acutely isolated 3wRbCMs. Cells were adenovirally infected (multiplicity of infection of 10) to express Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) and cultured for 48 h. The cells showed action potential duration (APD90 = 253 ± 24 ms) and calcium transients similar to adult rabbit cardiomyocytes. Freshly isolated and 48-h-old-cultured cells expressed critical ion channel proteins: calcium voltage-gated channel subunit alpha1 C (Cavα1c), sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit 5 (Nav1.5), potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily D member 3 (Kv4.3), and subfamily A member 4 (Kv1.4), and also subfamily H member 2 (RERG. Kv11.1), KvLQT1 (K7.1) protein and inward-rectifier potassium channel (Kir2.1). The cells displayed an appropriate electrophysiological phenotype, including fast sodium current (I Na), transient outward potassium current (I to), L-type calcium channel peak current (I Ca,L), rapid and slow components of the delayed rectifier potassium current (I Kr and I Ks), and inward rectifier (I K1). Although expression of the channel proteins and some currents decreased during the 48 h of culturing, we conclude that 3wRbCMs are a new, low-cost alternative to the adult-rabbit-cardiomyocytes system, which allows the investigation of molecular mechanisms of cardiac excitation on morphological, biochemical, genetic, physiological, and biophysical levels.

Human BIN1 isoforms grow, maintain and regenerate excitation-contraction couplons in adult rat and human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes

AIMS

In ventricular myocytes, Transverse-tubules (T-tubules) are instrumental for excitation-contraction (EC) coupling and their disarray is a hallmark of cardiac diseases. BIN1 is a key contributor to their biogenesis. Our study set out to investigate the role of human BIN1 splice variants in the maintenance and regeneration of EC-coupling in rat adult ventricular myocytes and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac myocytes (hiPS-CMs).

METHODS AND RESULTS

In heart samples from healthy human donors expression patterns of 5 BIN1 splice variants were identified. Following viral transduction of human BIN1 splice variants in cellular models of T-tubular disarray we employed high-speed confocal calcium imaging and Ca-CLEAN analysis to identify functional EC-coupling sites and T-tubular architecture. Adult rat ventricular myocytes were used to investigate the regeneration after loss and maintenance of EC-coupling while we studied the enhancement of EC-coupling in hiPS-CMs. All five human BIN1 splice variants induced de novo generation of T-tubules in both cell types. Isoforms with the phosphoinositide binding motif (PI) were most potent in maintenance and regeneration of T-tubules and functional EC-coupling in adult rat myocytes. In hiPSC-CMs, BIN1 variants with PI motiv induced de-novo generation of T-tubules, functional EC-coupling sites and enhanced calcium handling.

CONCLUSION(S)

BIN1 is essential for the maintenance, regeneration, and de-novo generation of functional T-tubules, especially isoforms with PI motifs. These T-tubules trigger the development of functional EC couplons resulting in enhanced calcium handling.

TRANSLATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Cardiomyopathy and heart failure are among the most frequent causes of death in modern societies. Gene therapies and hiPSC technology are becoming increasingly promising, both for treatment and therapy development. On the cellular level, one of the common denominators of cardiac diseases is the concurrent loss of T-tubules essential for efficient EC-coupling. While initial approaches in animal models employing gene therapy with BIN1 have depicted encouraging improvements the expression pattern of BIN1 isoforms in the human heart is still elusive. The present study identifies a unique set of five distinct BIN1 isoforms in healthy human hearts and demonstrates their potency in both, T-tubule maintenance and re-generation after loss resulting in efficient EC-coupling. Noteworthy, PI-motif containing isoforms were potent trigger of de-novo generation of T-tubules and establishment of efficient EC-coupling in hiPSC-CMs. Therefore, the expression of BIN1 might be novel and promising for pharmaceutical treatment and gene therapy.

Mechanisms and Regulation of Cardiac CaV1.2 Trafficking

During cardiac excitation contraction coupling, the arrival of an action potential at the ventricular myocardium triggers voltage-dependent L-type Ca²⁺ (Ca_V1.2) channels in individual myocytes to open briefly. The level of this Ca²⁺ influx tunes the amplitude of Ca²⁺-induced Ca²⁺ release from ryanodine receptors (RyR2) on the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum and thus the magnitude of the elevation in intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration and ultimately the downstream contraction. The number and activity of functional Ca_V1.2 channels at the t-tubule dyads dictates the amplitude of the Ca²⁺ influx. Trafficking of these channels and their auxiliary subunits to the cell surface is thus tightly controlled and regulated to ensure adequate sarcolemmal expression to sustain this critical process. To that end, recent discoveries have revealed the existence of internal reservoirs of preformed Ca_V1.2 channels that can be rapidly mobilized to enhance sarcolemmal expression in times of acute stress when hemodynamic and metabolic demand increases. In this review, we provide an overview of the current thinking on Ca_V1.2 channel trafficking dynamics in the heart. We highlight the numerous points of control including the biosynthetic pathway, the endosomal recycling pathway, ubiquitination, and lysosomal and proteasomal degradation pathways, and discuss the effects of β-adrenergic and angiotensin receptor signaling cascades on this process.

Lysophosphatidic Acid-Activated Calcium Signaling Is Elevated in Red Cells from Sickle Cell Disease Patients

(1) Background: It is known that sickle cells contain a higher amount of Ca2+ compared to healthy red blood cells (RBCs). The increased Ca2+ is associated with the most severe symptom of sickle cell disease (SCD), the vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC). The Ca2+ entry pathway received the name of Psickle but its molecular identity remains only partly resolved. We aimed to map the involved Ca2+ signaling to provide putative pharmacological targets for treatment. (2) Methods: The main technique applied was Ca2+ imaging of RBCs from healthy donors, SCD patients and a number of transgenic mouse models in comparison to wild-type mice. Life-cell Ca2+ imaging was applied to monitor responses to pharmacological targeting of the elements of signaling cascades. Infection as a trigger of VOC was imitated by stimulation of RBCs with lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). These measurements were complemented with biochemical assays. (3) Results: Ca2+ entry into SCD RBCs in response to LPA stimulation exceeded that of healthy donors. LPA receptor 4 levels were increased in SCD RBCs. Their activation was followed by the activation of Gi protein, which in turn triggered opening of TRPC6 and CaV2.1 channels via a protein kinase Cα and a MAP kinase pathway, respectively. (4) Conclusions: We found a new Ca2+ signaling cascade that is increased in SCD patients and identified new pharmacological targets that might be promising in addressing the most severe symptom of SCD, the VOC.

Biological lipid nanotubes and their potential role in evolution

The membrane of cells and organelles are highly deformable fluid interfaces, and can take on a multitude of shapes. One distinctive and particularly interesting property of biological membranes is their ability to from long and uniform nanotubes. These nanoconduits are surprisingly omnipresent in all domains of life, from archaea, bacteria, to plants and mammals. Some of these tubes have been known for a century, while others were only recently discovered. Their designations are different in different branches of biology, e.g. they are called stromule in plants and tunneling nanotubes in mammals. The mechanical transformation of flat membranes to tubes involves typically a combination of membrane anchoring and external forces, leading to a pulling action that results in very rapid membrane nanotube formation - micrometer long tubes can form in a matter of seconds. Their radius is set by a mechanical balance of tension and bending forces. There also exists a large class of membrane nanotubes that form due to curvature inducing molecules. It seems plausible that nanotube formation and functionality in plants and animals may have been inherited from their bacterial ancestors during endosymbiotic evolution. Here we attempt to connect observations of nanotubes in different branches of biology, and outline their similarities and differences with the aim of providing a perspective on their joint functions and evolutionary origin.

Large-Scale Contractility Measurements Reveal Large Atrioventricular and Subtle Interventricular Differences in Cultured Unloaded Rat Cardiomyocytes

The chambers of the heart fulfill different hemodynamic functions, which are reflected in their structural and contractile properties. While the atria are highly elastic to allow filling from the venous system, the ventricles need to be able to produce sufficiently high pressures to eject blood into the circulation. The right ventricle (RV) pumps into the low pressure pulmonary circulation, while the left ventricle (LV) needs to overcome the high pressure of the systemic circulation. It is incompletely understood whether these differences can be explained by the contractile differences at the level of the individual cardiomyocytes of the chambers. We addressed this by isolating cardiomyocytes from atria, RV, LV, and interventricular septum (IVS) of five healthy wild-type rats. Using a high-throughput contractility set-up, we measured contractile function of 2,043 cells after overnight culture. Compared to ventricular cardiomyocytes, atrial cells showed a twofold lower contraction amplitude and 1.4- to 1.7-fold slower kinetics of contraction and relaxation. The interventricular differences in contractile function were much smaller; RV cells displayed 12–13% less fractional shortening and 5–9% slower contraction and 3–15% slower relaxation kinetics relative to their LV and IVS counterparts. Aided by a large dataset, we established relationships between contractile parameters and found contraction velocity, fractional shortening and relaxation velocity to be highly correlated. In conclusion, our findings are in line with contractile differences observed at the atrioventricular level, but can only partly explain the interventricular differences that exist at the organ level.

Alterations of Ca2+ signaling and Ca2+ release sites in cultured ventricular myocytes with intact internal Ca2+ storage

Although cultured adult cardiac myocytes in combination with cell-level genetic modifications have been adopted for the study of protein function, the cellular alterations caused by the culture conditions themselves need to be clarified before we can interpret the effects of genetically altered proteins. We systematically compared the cellular morphology, global Ca²⁺ signaling, elementary Ca²⁺ release (sparks), and arrangement of ryanodine receptor (RyR) clusters in short-term (2 days)-cultured adult rat ventricular myocytes with those of freshly isolated myocytes. The transverse (t)-tubules were remarkably decreased (to ∼25%) by culture, and whole-cell capacitance was reduced by ∼35%. The magnitude of depolarization-induced Ca²⁺ transients decreased to ∼50%, and Ca²⁺ transient decay was slowed by culture. The culture did not affect sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca²⁺ loading. Therefore, fractional Ca²⁺ release was attenuated by culture. In the cultured cells, the L-type Ca²⁺ current (I_Ca) was smaller (∼50% of controls) and its inactivation was slower. In cultured myocytes, there were significantly fewer (∼50% of control) Ca²⁺ sparks, the local Ca²⁺ releases through RyR clusters, compared with in freshly isolated cells. Amplitude and kinetics (duration and time-to-peak) of individual sparks were similar, but they showed greater width in cultured cells. Immunolocalization analysis revealed that the cross-striation of RyRs distribution became weaker and less organized, and that the density of RyR clusters decreased in cultured myocytes. Our data suggest that the loss of t-tubules and generation of compromised Ca²⁺ transients and I_Ca in short-term adult ventricular cell culture are independent of SR Ca²⁺ loading status. In addition, the deteriorated arrangement of the RyR-clusters and their decreased density after short-term culture may be partly responsible for fewer Ca²⁺ sparks and a decrease in global Ca²⁺ release.

Disturbed cardiac mitochondrial and cytosolic calcium handling in a metabolic risk-related rat model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction

AIM

Calcium ions play a pivotal role in matching energy supply and demand in cardiac muscle. Mitochondrial calcium concentration is lower in animal models of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), but limited information is available about mitochondrial calcium handling in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

METHODS

We assessed mitochondrial Ca²⁺ handling in intact cardiomyocytes from Zucker/fatty Spontaneously hypertensive F1 hybrid (ZSF1)-lean (control) and ZSF1-obese rats, a metabolic risk-related model of HFpEF. A mitochondrially targeted Ca²⁺ indicator (MitoCam) was expressed in cultured adult rat cardiomyocytes. Cytosolic and mitochondrial Ca²⁺ transients were measured at different stimulation frequencies. Mitochondrial respiration and swelling, and expression of key proteins were determined ex vivo.

RESULTS

At rest, mitochondrial Ca²⁺ concentration in ZSF1-obese was larger than in ZSF1-lean. The diastolic and systolic mitochondrial Ca²⁺ concentrations increased with stimulation frequency, but the steady-state levels were larger in ZSF1-obese. The half-widths of the contractile responses, the resting cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration and the decay half-times of the cytosolic Ca²⁺ transients were higher in ZSF1-obese, likely because of a lower SERCA2a/phospholamban ratio. Mitochondrial respiration was lower, particularly with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) (complex I) substrates, and mitochondrial swelling was larger in ZSF1-obese.

CONCLUSION

The free mitochondrial calcium concentration is higher in HFpEF owing to alterations in mitochondrial and cytosolic Ca²⁺ handling. This coupling between cytosolic and mitochondrial Ca²⁺ levels may compensate for myocardial ATP supply in vivo under conditions of mild mitochondrial dysfunction. However, if mitochondrial Ca²⁺ concentration is sustainedly increased, it might trigger mitochondrial permeability transition pore opening.

Cardiomyocyte mechanodynamics under conditions of actin remodelling

The mechanical performance of cardiomyocytes (CMs) is an important indicator of their maturation state and of primary importance for the development of therapies based on cardiac stem cells. As the mechanical analysis of adherent cells at high-throughput remains challenging, we explore the applicability of real-time deformability cytometry (RT-DC) to probe cardiomyocytes in suspension. RT-DC is a microfluidic technology allowing for real-time mechanical analysis of thousands of cells with a throughput exceeding 1000 cells per second. For CMs derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells, we determined a Young's modulus of 1.25 ± 0.08 kPa which is in close range to previous reports. Upon challenging the cytoskeleton with cytochalasin D (CytoD) to induce filamentous actin depolymerization, we distinguish three different regimes in cellular elasticity. Transitions are observed below 10 nM and above 103 nM and are characterized by a decrease in Young's modulus. These regimes can be linked to cytoskeletal and sarcomeric actin contributions by CM contractility measurements at varying CytoD concentrations, where we observe a significant reduction in pulse duration only above 103 nM while no change is found for compound exposure at lower concentrations. Comparing our results to mechanical cell measurements using atomic force microscopy, we demonstrate for the first time to our knowledge, the feasibility of using a microfluidic technique to measure mechanical properties of large samples of adherent cells while linking our results to the composition of the cytoskeletal network. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Single cell ecology'.

Nitric oxide modulates cardiomyocyte pH control through a biphasic effect on sodium/hydrogen exchanger-1

AIMS

When activated, Na+/H+ exchanger-1 (NHE1) produces some of the largest ionic fluxes in the heart. NHE1-dependent H+ extrusion and Na+ entry strongly modulate cardiac physiology through the direct effects of pH on proteins and by influencing intracellular Ca2+ handling. To attain an appropriate level of activation, cardiac NHE1 must respond to myocyte-derived cues. Among physiologically important cues is nitric oxide (NO), which regulates a myriad of cardiac functions, but its actions on NHE1 are unclear.

METHODS AND RESULTS

NHE1 activity was measured using pH-sensitive cSNARF1 fluorescence after acid-loading adult ventricular myocytes by an ammonium prepulse solution manoeuvre. NO signalling was manipulated by knockout of its major constitutive synthase nNOS, adenoviral nNOS gene delivery, nNOS inhibition, and application of NO-donors. NHE1 flux was found to be activated by low [NO], but inhibited at high [NO]. These responses involved cGMP-dependent signalling, rather than S-nitros(yl)ation. Stronger cGMP signals, that can inhibit phosphodiesterase enzymes, allowed [cAMP] to rise, as demonstrated by a FRET-based sensor. Inferring from the actions of membrane-permeant analogues, cGMP was determined to activate NHE1, whereas cAMP was inhibitory, which explains the biphasic regulation by NO. Activation of NHE1-dependent Na+ influx by low [NO] also increased the frequency of spontaneous Ca2+ waves, whereas high [NO] suppressed these aberrant forms of Ca2+ signalling.

CONCLUSIONS

Physiological levels of NO stimulation increase NHE1 activity, which boosts pH control during acid-disturbances and results in Na+-driven cellular Ca2+ loading. These responses are positively inotropic but also increase the likelihood of aberrant Ca2+ signals, and hence arrhythmia. Stronger NO signals inhibit NHE1, leading to a reversal of the aforementioned effects, ostensibly as a potential cardioprotective intervention to curtail NHE1 overdrive.

Glucocorticoids preserve the t-tubular system in ventricular cardiomyocytes by upregulation of autophagic flux

A major contributor to contractile dysfunction in heart failure is remodelling and loss of the cardiomyocyte transverse tubular system (t-system), but underlying mechanisms and signalling pathways remain elusive. It has been shown that dexamethasone promotes t-tubule development in stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and that cardiomyocyte-specific glucocorticoid receptor (GR) knockout (GRKO) leads to heart failure. Here, we studied if the t-system is altered in GRKO hearts and if GR signalling is required for t-system preservation in adult cardiomyocytes. Confocal and 3D STED microscopy of myocardium from cardiomyocyte-specific GRKO mice revealed decreased t-system density and increased distances between ryanodine receptors (RyR) and L-type Ca²⁺ channels (LTCC). Because t-system remodelling and heart failure are intertwined, we investigated the underlying mechanisms in vitro. Ventricular cardiomyocytes from failing human and healthy adult rat hearts cultured in the absence of glucocorticoids (CTRL) showed distinctively lower t-system density than cells treated with dexamethasone (EC₅₀ 1.1 nM) or corticosterone. The GR antagonist mifepristone abrogated the effect of dexamethasone. Dexamethasone improved RyR-LTCC coupling and synchrony of intracellular Ca²⁺ release, but did not alter expression levels of t-system-associated proteins junctophilin-2 (JPH2), bridging integrator-1 (BIN1) or caveolin-3 (CAV3). Rather, dexamethasone upregulated LC3B and increased autophagic flux. The broad-spectrum protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine prevented dexamethasone-induced upregulation of autophagy and t-system preservation, and autophagy inhibitors bafilomycin A and chloroquine accelerated t-system loss. Conversely, induction of autophagy by rapamycin or amino acid starvation preserved the t-system. These findings suggest that GR signalling and autophagy are critically involved in t-system preservation and remodelling in the heart.

LITAF (Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Tumor Necrosis Factor) Regulates Cardiac L-Type Calcium Channels by Modulating NEDD (Neural Precursor Cell Expressed Developmentally Downregulated Protein) 4-1 Ubiquitin Ligase

BACKGROUND

The turnover of cardiac ion channels underlying action potential duration is regulated by ubiquitination. Genome-wide association studies of QT interval identified several single-nucleotide polymorphisms located in or near genes involved in protein ubiquitination. A genetic variant upstream of LITAF (lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor) gene prompted us to determine its role in modulating cardiac excitation.

METHODS

Optical mapping was performed in zebrafish hearts to determine Ca2+ transients. Live-cell confocal calcium imaging was performed on adult rabbit cardiomyocytes to determine intracellular Ca2+handling. L-type calcium channel (LTCC) current (ICa,L) was measured using whole-cell recording. To study the effect of LITAF on Cav1.2 (L-type voltage-gated calcium channel 1.2) channel expression, surface biotinylation, and Westerns were performed. LITAF interactions were studied using coimmunoprecipitation and in situ proximity ligation assay.

RESULTS

LITAF knockdown in zebrafish resulted in a robust increase in calcium transients. Overexpressed LITAF in 3-week-old rabbit cardiomyocytes resulted in a decrease in ICa,L and Cavα1c abundance, whereas LITAF knockdown increased ICa,L and Cavα1c protein. LITAF-overexpressing decreases calcium transients in adult rabbit cardiomyocytes, which was associated with lower Cavα1c levels. In tsA201 cells, overexpressed LITAF downregulated total and surface pools of Cavα1c via increased Cavα1c ubiquitination and its subsequent lysosomal degradation. We observed colocalization between LITAF and LTCC in tsA201 and cardiomyocytes. In tsA201, NEDD (neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated protein) 4-1, but not its catalytically inactive form NEDD4-1-C867A, increased Cavα1c ubiquitination. Cavα1c ubiquitination was further increased by coexpressed LITAF and NEDD4-1 but not NEDD4-1-C867A. NEDD4-1 knockdown abolished the negative effect of LITAF on ICa,L and Cavα1c levels in 3-week-old rabbit cardiomyocytes. Computer simulations demonstrated that a decrease of ICa,L current associated with LITAF overexpression simultaneously shortened action potential duration and decreased calcium transients in rabbit cardiomyocytes.

CONCLUSIONS

LITAF acts as an adaptor protein promoting NEDD4-1-mediated ubiquitination and subsequent degradation of LTCC, thereby controlling LTCC membrane levels and function and thus cardiac excitation.

Eliminating contraction during culture maintains global and local Ca2+ dynamics in cultured rabbit pacemaker cells

Pacemaker cells residing in the sinoatrial node generate the regular heartbeat. Ca²⁺ signaling controls the heartbeat rate-directly, through the effect on membrane molecules (NCX exchange, K⁺ channel), and indirectly, through activation of calmodulin-AC-cAMP-PKA signaling. Thus, the physiological role of signaling in pacemaker cells can only be assessed if the Ca²⁺ dynamics are in the physiological range. Cultured cells that can be genetically manipulated and/or virally infected with probes are required for this purpose. Because rabbit pacemaker cells in culture experience a decrease in their spontaneous action potential (AP) firing rate below the physiological range, Ca²⁺ dynamics are expected to be affected. However, Ca²⁺ dynamics in cultured pacemaker cells have not been reported before. We aim to a develop a modified culture method that sustains the global and local Ca²⁺ kinetics along with the AP firing rate of rabbit pacemaker cells. We used experimental and computational tools to test the viability of rabbit pacemaker cells in culture under various conditions. We tested the effect of culture dish coating, pH, phosphorylation, and energy balance on cultured rabbit pacemaker cells function. The cells were maintained in culture for 48 h in two types of culture media: one without the addition of a contraction uncoupler and one enriched with either 10 mM BDM (2,3-Butanedione 2-monoxime) or 25 μM blebbistatin. The uncoupler was washed out from the medium prior to the experiments. Cells were successfully infected with a GFP adenovirus cultured with either BDM or blebbistatin. Using either uncoupler during culture led to the cell surface area being maintained at the same level as fresh cells. Moreover, the phospholamban and ryanodine receptor densities and their phosphorylation level remained intact in culture when either blebbistatin or BDM were present. Spontaneous AP firing rate, spontaneous Ca²⁺ kinetics, and spontaneous local Ca²⁺ release parameters were similar in the cultured cells with blebbistatin as in fresh cells. However, BDM affects these parameters. Using experimental and a computational model, we showed that by eliminating contraction, phosphorylation activity is preserved and energy is reduced. However, the side-effects of BDM render it less effective than blebbistatin.

Dyadic Plasticity in Cardiomyocytes

Contraction of cardiomyocytes is dependent on sub-cellular structures called dyads, where invaginations of the surface membrane (t-tubules) form functional junctions with the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Within each dyad, Ca2+ entry through t-tubular L-type Ca2+ channels (LTCCs) elicits Ca2+ release from closely apposed Ryanodine Receptors (RyRs) in the SR membrane. The efficiency of this process is dependent on the density and macroscale arrangement of dyads, but also on the nanoscale organization of LTCCs and RyRs within them. We presently review accumulating data demonstrating the remarkable plasticity of these structures. Dyads are known to form gradually during development, with progressive assembly of both t-tubules and junctional SR terminals, and precise trafficking of LTCCs and RyRs. While dyads can exhibit compensatory remodeling when required, dyadic degradation is believed to promote impaired contractility and arrythmogenesis in cardiac disease. Recent data indicate that this plasticity of dyadic structure/function is dependent on the regulatory proteins junctophilin-2, amphiphysin-2 (BIN1), and caveolin-3, which critically arrange dyadic membranes while stabilizing the position and activity of LTCCs and RyRs. Indeed, emerging evidence indicates that clustering of both channels enables "coupled gating", implying that nanoscale localization and function are intimately linked, and may allow fine-tuning of LTCC-RyR crosstalk. We anticipate that improved understanding of dyadic plasticity will provide greater insight into the processes of cardiac compensation and decompensation, and new opportunities to target the basic mechanisms underlying heart disease.

Gene Transfer in Isolated Adult Cardiomyocytes

During the past few decades, gene delivery using recombinant virus has made tremendous progress. With a higher than 80 % transduction efficiency, even in non-dividing cells, viral transduction has become the method of choice for efficient gene transfer into cardiomyocytes. However, in vitro gene delivery is dependent on a robust cell isolation protocol, as prolonged cultivation is needed to initiate gene expression and target specific cellular processes. This chapter describes some of the important steps that need to be considered for successful in vitro gene transfer into adult cardiomyocytes. Included are detailed protocols for isolating cells, maintaining rod shaped cardiomyocytes in culture over several days, and employing adenovirus for gene transduction.

Transient activation of PKC results in long-lasting detrimental effects on systolic [Ca2+]i in cardiomyocytes by altering actin cytoskeletal dynamics and T-tubule integrity

AIMS

Protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes contribute to the development of heart failure through dysregulation of Ca²⁺ handling properties and disruption of contractile function in cardiomyocytes. However, the mechanisms by which PKC activation leads to Ca²⁺ dysfunction are incompletely understood.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Shortly upon ventricular pressure overload in mice, we detected transient PKC activation that was associated with pulsed actin cytoskeletal rearrangement. In cultured cardiomyocytes, transient activation of PKC promoted long-term deleterious effects on the integrity of the transverse (T)- tubule system, resulting in a significant decrease in the amplitude and increase in the rising kinetics of Ca²⁺ transients. Treatment with a PKCα/β inhibitor restored the synchronization of Ca²⁺ transients and maintained T-tubule integrity in cultured cardiomyocytes. Supporting these data, PKCα/β inhibition protected against T-tubule remodeling and cardiac dysfunction in a mouse model of pressure overload-induced heart failure. Mechanistically, transient activation of PKC resulted in biphasic actin cytoskeletal rearrangement, consistent with in vivo observations in the pressure overloaded mouse model. Transient inhibition of actin polymerization or depolymerization resulted in severe T-tubule damage, recapitulating the T-tubule damage induced by PKC activation. Moreover, inhibition of stretch activated channels (SAC) protected against T-tubule remodeling and E-C coupling dysfunction induced by transient PKC activation and actin cytoskeletal rearrangement.

CONCLUSIONS

These data identify a key mechanistic link between transient PKC activation and long-term Ca²⁺ handling defects through PKC-induced actin cytoskeletal rearrangement and resultant T-tubule damage.

An adaptation of astronomical image processing enables characterization and functional 3D mapping of individual sites of excitation-contraction coupling in rat cardiac muscle

In beating cardiomyocytes, synchronized localized Ca²⁺ transients from thousands of active excitation-contraction coupling sites (ECC couplons) comprising plasma and sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane calcium channels are important determinants of the heart's performance. Nevertheless, our knowledge about the properties of ECC couplons is limited by the lack of appropriate experimental and analysis strategies. We designed CaCLEAN to untangle the fundamental characteristics of ECC couplons by combining the astronomer's CLEAN algorithm with known properties of calcium diffusion. CaCLEAN empowers the investigation of fundamental properties of ECC couplons in beating cardiomyocytes without pharmacological interventions. Upon examining individual ECC couplons at the nanoscopic level, we reveal their roles in the negative amplitude-frequency relationship and in β-adrenergic stimulation, including decreasing and increasing firing reliability, respectively. CaCLEAN combined with 3D confocal imaging of beating cardiomyocytes provides a functional 3D map of active ECC couplons (on average, 17,000 per myocyte). CaCLEAN will further enlighten the ECC-couplon-remodelling processes that underlie cardiac diseases.

Biology of the cardiac myocyte in heart disease

Cardiac hypertrophy is a major risk factor for heart failure, and it has been shown that this increase in size occurs at the level of the cardiac myocyte. Cardiac myocyte model systems have been developed to study this process. Here we focus on cell culture tools, including primary cells, immortalized cell lines, human stem cells, and their morphological and molecular responses to pathological stimuli. For each cell type, we discuss commonly used methods for inducing hypertrophy, markers of pathological hypertrophy, advantages for each model, and disadvantages to using a particular cell type over other in vitro model systems. Where applicable, we discuss how each system is used to model human disease and how these models may be applicable to current drug therapeutic strategies. Finally, we discuss the increasing use of biomaterials to mimic healthy and diseased hearts and how these matrices can contribute to in vitro model systems of cardiac cell biology.

Cardiac T-Tubule Microanatomy and Function

Unique to striated muscle cells, transverse tubules (t-tubules) are membrane organelles that consist of sarcolemma penetrating into the myocyte interior, forming a highly branched and interconnected network. Mature t-tubule networks are found in mammalian ventricular cardiomyocytes, with the transverse components of t-tubules occurring near sarcomeric z-discs. Cardiac t-tubules contain membrane microdomains enriched with ion channels and signaling molecules. The microdomains serve as key signaling hubs in regulation of cardiomyocyte function. Dyad microdomains formed at the junctional contact between t-tubule membrane and neighboring sarcoplasmic reticulum are critical in calcium signaling and excitation-contraction coupling necessary for beat-to-beat heart contraction. In this review, we provide an overview of the current knowledge in gross morphology and structure, membrane and protein composition, and function of the cardiac t-tubule network. We also review in detail current knowledge on the formation of functional membrane subdomains within t-tubules, with a particular focus on the cardiac dyad microdomain. Lastly, we discuss the dynamic nature of t-tubules including membrane turnover, trafficking of transmembrane proteins, and the life cycles of membrane subdomains such as the cardiac BIN1-microdomain, as well as t-tubule remodeling and alteration in diseased hearts. Understanding cardiac t-tubule biology in normal and failing hearts is providing novel diagnostic and therapeutic opportunities to better treat patients with failing hearts.

Rapid frequency-dependent changes in free mitochondrial calcium concentration in rat cardiac myocytes

KEY POINTS

Calcium ions regulate mitochondrial ATP production and contractile activity and thus play a pivotal role in matching energy supply and demand in cardiac muscle. The magnitude and kinetics of the changes in free mitochondrial calcium concentration in cardiac myocytes are largely unknown. Rapid stimulation frequency-dependent increases but relatively slow decreases in free mitochondrial calcium concentration were observed in rat cardiac myocytes. This asymmetry caused a rise in the mitochondrial calcium concentration with stimulation frequency. These results provide insight into the mechanisms of mitochondrial calcium uptake and release that are important in healthy and diseased myocardium.

ABSTRACT

Calcium ions regulate mitochondrial ATP production and contractile activity and thus play a pivotal role in matching energy supply and demand in cardiac muscle. Little is known about the magnitude and kinetics of the changes in free mitochondrial calcium concentration in cardiomyocytes. Using adenoviral infection, a ratiometric mitochondrially targeted Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based calcium indicator (4mtD3cpv, MitoCam) was expressed in cultured adult rat cardiomyocytes and the free mitochondrial calcium concentration ([Ca²⁺ ]_m ) was measured at different stimulation frequencies (0.1-4 Hz) and external calcium concentrations (1.8-3.6 mm) at 37°C. Cytosolic calcium concentrations were assessed under the same experimental conditions in separate experiments using Fura-4AM. The increases in [Ca²⁺ ]_m during electrical stimulation at 0.1 Hz were rapid (rise time = 49 ± 2 ms), while the decreases in [Ca²⁺ ]_m occurred more slowly (decay half time = 1.17 ± 0.07 s). Model calculations confirmed that this asymmetry caused the rise in [Ca²⁺ ]_m during diastole observed at elevated stimulation frequencies. Inhibition of the mitochondrial sodium-calcium exchanger (mNCE) resulted in a rise in [Ca²⁺ ]_m at baseline and, paradoxically, in an acceleration of Ca²⁺ release.

IN CONCLUSION

rapid increases in [Ca²⁺ ]_m allow for fast adjustment of mitochondrial ATP production to increases in myocardial demand on a beat-to-beat basis and mitochondrial calcium release depends on mNCE activity and mitochondrial calcium buffering.

A Simplified, Langendorff-Free Method for Concomitant Isolation of Viable Cardiac Myocytes and Nonmyocytes From the Adult Mouse Heart

RATIONALE

Cardiovascular disease represents a global pandemic. The advent of and recent advances in mouse genomics, epigenomics, and transgenics offer ever-greater potential for powerful avenues of research. However, progress is often constrained by unique complexities associated with the isolation of viable myocytes from the adult mouse heart. Current protocols rely on retrograde aortic perfusion using specialized Langendorff apparatus, which poses considerable logistical and technical barriers to researchers and demands extensive training investment.

OBJECTIVE

To identify and optimize a convenient, alternative approach, allowing the robust isolation and culture of adult mouse cardiac myocytes using only common surgical and laboratory equipment.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Cardiac myocytes were isolated with yields comparable to those in published Langendorff-based methods, using direct needle perfusion of the LV ex vivo and without requirement for heparin injection. Isolated myocytes can be cultured antibiotic free, with retained organized contractile and mitochondrial morphology, transcriptional signatures, calcium handling, responses to hypoxia, neurohormonal stimulation, and electric pacing, and are amenable to patch clamp and adenoviral gene transfer techniques. Furthermore, the methodology permits concurrent isolation, separation, and coculture of myocyte and nonmyocyte cardiac populations.

CONCLUSIONS

We present a novel, simplified method, demonstrating concomitant isolation of viable cardiac myocytes and nonmyocytes from the same adult mouse heart. We anticipate that this new approach will expand and accelerate innovative research in the field of cardiac biology.

Intracellular tortuosity underlies slow cAMP diffusion in adult ventricular myocytes

Aims

3′,5′-Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) signals in the heart are often confined to concentration microdomains shaped by cAMP diffusion and enzymatic degradation. While the importance of phosphodiesterases (degradative enzymes) in sculpting cAMP microdomains is well established in cardiomyocytes, less is known about cAMP diffusivity (D_cAMP) and factors affecting it. Many earlier studies have reported fast diffusivity, which argues against sharply defined microdomains.

Methods and results

[cAMP] dynamics in the cytoplasm of adult rat ventricular myocytes were imaged using a fourth generation genetically encoded FRET-based sensor. The [cAMP]-response to the addition and removal of isoproterenol (β-adrenoceptor agonist) quantified the rates of cAMP synthesis and degradation. To obtain a read out of D_cAMP, a stable [cAMP] gradient was generated using a microfluidic device which delivered agonist to one half of the myocyte only. After accounting for phosphodiesterase activity, D_cAMP was calculated to be 32 µm²/s; an order of magnitude lower than in water. Diffusivity was independent of the amount of cAMP produced. Saturating cAMP-binding sites with the analogue 6-Bnz-cAMP did not accelerate D_cAMP, arguing against a role of buffering in restricting cAMP mobility. cAMP diffused at a comparable rate to chemically unrelated but similar sized molecules, arguing for a common physical cause of restricted diffusivity. Lower mitochondrial density and order in neonatal cardiac myocytes allowed for faster diffusion, demonstrating the importance of mitochondria as physical barriers to cAMP mobility.

Conclusion

In adult cardiac myocytes, tortuosity due to physical barriers, notably mitochondria, restricts cAMP diffusion to levels that are more compatible with microdomain signalling.

Adenoviral transduction of FRET-based biosensors for cAMP in primary adult mouse cardiomyocytes

Genetically encoded biosensors that make use of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) are important tools for the study of compartmentalized cyclic nucleotide signaling in living cells. With the advent of germ line and tissue-specific transgenic technologies, the adult mouse represents a useful tool for the study of cardiovascular pathophysiology. The use of FRET-based genetically encoded biosensors coupled with this animal model represents a powerful combination for the study of cAMP signaling in live primary cardiomyocytes. In this chapter, we describe the steps required during the isolation, viral transduction, and culture of cardiomyocytes from an adult mouse to obtain reliable expression of genetically encoded FRET biosensors for the study of cAMP signaling in living cells.

BIN1 regulates dynamic t-tubule membrane

Cardiac transverse tubules (t-tubules) are specific membrane organelles critical in calcium signaling and excitation-contraction coupling required for beat-to-beat heart contraction. T-tubules are highly branched and form an interconnected network that penetrates the myocyte interior to form junctions with the sarcoplasmic reticulum. T-tubules are selectively enriched with specific ion channels and proteins crucial in calcium transient development necessary in excitation-contraction coupling, thus t-tubules are a key component of cardiac myocyte function. In this review, we focus primarily on two proteins concentrated within the t-tubular network, the L-type calcium channel (LTCC) and associated membrane anchor protein, bridging integrator 1 (BIN1). Here, we provide an overview of current knowledge in t-tubule morphology, composition, microdomains, as well as the dynamics of the t-tubule network. Secondly, we highlight multiple aspects of BIN1-dependent t-tubule function, which includes forward trafficking of LTCCs to t-tubules, LTCC clustering at t-tubule surface, microdomain organization and regulation at t-tubule membrane, and the formation of a slow diffusion barrier within t-tubules. Lastly, we describe progress in characterizing how acquired human heart failure can be attributed to abnormal BIN1 transcription and associated t-tubule remodeling. Understanding BIN1-regulated cardiac t-tubule biology in human heart failure management has the dual benefit of promoting progress in both biomarker development and therapeutic target identification. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cardiomyocyte Biology: Integration of Developmental and Environmental Cues in the Heart edited by Marcus Schaub and Hughes Abriel.

Dystrophic cardiomyopathy: role of TRPV2 channels in stretch-induced cell damage

AIMS

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), a degenerative pathology of skeletal muscle, also induces cardiac failure and arrhythmias due to a mutation leading to the lack of the protein dystrophin. In cardiac cells, the subsarcolemmal localization of dystrophin is thought to protect the membrane from mechanical stress. The absence of dystrophin results in an elevated stress-induced Ca2+ influx due to the inadequate functioning of several proteins, such as stretch-activated channels (SACs). Our aim was to investigate whether transient receptor potential vanilloid channels type 2 (TRPV2) form subunits of the dysregulated SACs in cardiac dystrophy.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We defined the role of TRPV2 channels in the abnormal Ca2+ influx of cardiomyocytes isolated from dystrophic mdx mice, an established animal model for DMD. In dystrophic cells, western blotting showed that TRPV2 was two-fold overexpressed. While normally localized intracellularly, in myocytes from mdx mice TRPV2 channels were translocated to the sarcolemma and were prominent along the T-tubules, as indicated by immunocytochemistry. Membrane localization was confirmed by biotinylation assays. Furthermore, in mdx myocytes pharmacological modulators suggested an abnormal activity of TRPV2, which has a unique pharmacological profile among TRP channels. Confocal imaging showed that these compounds protected the cells from stress-induced abnormal Ca2+ signals. The involvement of TRPV2 in these signals was confirmed by specific pore-blocking antibodies and by small-interfering RNA ablation of TRPV2.

CONCLUSION

Together, these results establish the involvement of TRPV2 in a stretch-activated calcium influx pathway in dystrophic cardiomyopathy, contributing to the defective cellular Ca2+ handling in this disease.

Assessing GPCR and G protein signaling to the nucleus in live cells using fluorescent biosensors

G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling cascades regulate a wide variety of cellular processes and feature prominently in many cardiovascular pathologies. As such they represent major drug targets and discovering novel aspects of GPCR signaling provide important opportunities to identify additional potential therapeutic approaches to reverse or prevent cardiac remodeling and failure. Monitoring cellular trafficking of signaling components and specific protein kinase activities using fluorescent biosensors has provided key insight into stress/GPCR-induced kinase signaling networks and their effect on cardiac gene expression. Herein we describe the protocols for the expression, visualization (by confocal microscopy), and interpretation of data obtained with such biosensors expressed in adult cardiomyocytes. Our focus is on the cellular trafficking of class II histone deacetylases (i.e., HDAC5) and on the FRET sensor (Camui) for calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII).

Cardiomyocyte protein trafficking: Relevance to heart disease and opportunities for therapeutic intervention

Cardiomyocytes, the individual contractile units of heart muscle, are long-lived and robust. Given the longevity of these cells, it can be easy to overlook their dynamic intracellular environment that contain rapid protein movements and frequent protein turnover. Critical gene transcription and protein translation occur continuously, as well as trafficking and localization of proteins to specific functional zones of cell membrane. As heart failure becomes an increasingly important clinical entity, growing numbers of investigative teams are examining the cell biology of healthy and diseased cardiomyocytes. In this review, we introduce the major architectural structures and types of protein movements within cardiac cells, and then review recent studies that explore the regulation of such movements. We conclude by introducing current translational directions of the basic studies with a focus on novel areas of therapeutic development.

Differential Behavior of Fibroblasts and Epithelial Cells on Structured Implant Abutment Materials: A Comparison of Materials and Surface Topographies

PURPOSE

The aim of this study was to compare the proliferation and attachment behavior of fibroblasts and epithelial cells on differently structured abutment materials.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Three different surface topographies were prepared on zirconia and titanium alloy specimens and defined as follows: machined (as delivered without further surface modification), smooth (polished), and rough (sandblasted). Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, topographical analysis, and water contact angle measurements were used to analyze the surface properties. Fibroblasts (HGF1) and epithelial cells (HNEpC) grown on the specimens were investigated 24 hours and 72 hours after seeding and counted using fluorescence imaging. To investigate adhesion, the abundance and arrangement of the focal adhesion protein vinculin were evaluated by immunocytochemistry.

RESULTS

Similar surface topographies were created on both materials. Fibroblasts exhibited significant higher proliferation rates on comparable surface topographies of zirconia compared with the titanium alloy. The proliferation of fibroblasts and epithelial cells was optimal on different substrate/topography combinations. Cell spreading was generally higher on polished and machined surfaces than on sandblasted surfaces. Rough surfaces provided favorable properties in terms of cellular adhesion of fibroblasts but not of epithelial cells.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data support complex soft tissue cell-substrate interactions: the fibroblast and epithelial cell response is influenced by both the material and surface topography.

Genetically encoded Ca2+ indicators in cardiac myocytes

Genetically encoded Ca(2+) indicators constitute a powerful set of tools to investigate functional aspects of Ca(2+) signaling in isolated cardiomyocytes, cardiac tissue, and whole hearts. Here, we provide an overview of the concepts, experiences, state of the art, and ongoing developments in the use of genetically encoded Ca(2+) indicators for cardiac cells and heart tissue. This review is supplemented with in vivo viral gene transfer experiments and comparisons of available genetically encoded Ca(2+) indicators with each other and with the small molecule dye Fura-2. In the context of cardiac myocytes, we provide guidelines for selecting a genetically encoded Ca(2+) indicator. For future developments, we discuss improvements of a broad range of properties, including photophysical properties such as spectral spread and biocompatibility, as well as cellular and in vivo applications.

Cardiac BIN1 folds T-tubule membrane, controlling ion flux and limiting arrhythmia

Cardiomyocyte T tubules are important for regulating ion flux. Bridging integrator 1 (BIN1) is a T-tubule protein associated with calcium channel trafficking that is downregulated in failing hearts. Here we find that cardiac T tubules normally contain dense protective inner membrane folds that are formed by a cardiac isoform of BIN1. In mice with cardiac Bin1 deletion, T-tubule folding is decreased, which does not change overall cardiomyocyte morphology but leads to free diffusion of local extracellular calcium and potassium ions, prolonging action-potential duration and increasing susceptibility to ventricular arrhythmias. We also found that T-tubule inner folds are rescued by expression of the BIN1 isoform BIN1+13+17, which promotes N-WASP-dependent actin polymerization to stabilize the T-tubule membrane at cardiac Z discs. BIN1+13+17 recruits actin to fold the T-tubule membrane, creating a 'fuzzy space' that protectively restricts ion flux. When the amount of the BIN1+13+17 isoform is decreased, as occurs in acquired cardiomyopathy, T-tubule morphology is altered, and arrhythmia can result.

Rapid actin-cytoskeleton-dependent recruitment of plasma membrane-derived dysferlin at wounds is critical for muscle membrane repair

Deficits in membrane repair may contribute to disease progression in dysferlin-deficient muscular dystrophy. Dysferlin, a type-II transmembrane phospholipid-binding protein, is hypothesized to regulate fusion of repair vesicles with the sarcolemma to facilitate membrane repair, but the dysferlin-containing compartments involved in membrane repair and the mechanism by which these compartments contribute to resealing are unclear. A dysferlin-pHluorin [dysf-pH-sensitive green fluorescent protein (pHGFP)] muscle-specific transgenic mouse was developed to examine the dynamic behavior and subcellular localization of dysferlin during membrane repair in adult skeletal muscle fibers. Live-cell confocal microscopy of uninjured adult dysf-pHGFP muscle fibers revealed that dysferlin is highly enriched in the sarcolemma and transverse tubules. Laser-wounding induced rapid recruitment of ∼30 μm of local dysferlin-containing sarcolemma, leading to formation of stable dysferlin accumulations surrounding lesions, endocytosis of dysferlin, and formation of large cytoplasmic vesicles from distal regions of the fiber. Disruption of the actin cytoskeleton decreased recruitment of sarcolemma-derived dysferlin to lesions in dysf-pHGFP fibers without affecting endocytosis and impaired membrane resealing in wild-type fibers, similar to findings in dysferlin deficiency (a 2-fold increase in FM1-43 uptake). Our data support a new mechanism whereby recruitment of sarcolemma-derived dysferlin creates an active zone of high lipid-binding activity at wounds to interact with repair vesicles and facilitate membrane resealing in skeletal muscle.

Preservation of cardiomyocytes from the adult heart

Cardiomyocytes represent one of the most useful models to conduct cardiac research. A single adult heart yields millions of cardiomyocytes, but these cells do not survive for long after isolation. We aimed to determine whether inhibition of myosin II ATPase that is essential for muscle contraction may preserve fully differentiated adult cardiomyocytes. Using inhibitors of the myosin II ATPase, blebbistatin and N-benzyl-p-toluene sulphonamide (BTS), we preserved freshly isolated fully differentiated adult primary cardiomyocytes that were stored at a refrigerated temperature. Specifically, preserved cardiomyocytes stayed viable for a 2-week period with a stable expression of cardiac genes and retained the expression of key markers characteristic of cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, voltage-clamp, action potential, calcium transient and contractility studies confirmed that the preserved cardiomyocytes are comparable to freshly isolated cells. Long-term exposure of preserved cardiomyocytes to four tyrosine kinase inhibitors, sunitinib malate, dasatinib, sorafenib tosylate and imatinib mesylate, revealed their potential to induce cardiac toxicity that was manifested with a decrease in contractility and induction of cell death, but this toxicity was not observed in acute experiments conducted over the time course amenable to freshly prepared cardiomyocytes. This study introduces the concept that the inhibition of myosin II ATPase safeguards the structure and function of fully differentiated adult cardiomyocytes. The fact that these preserved cardiomyocytes can be used for numerous days after preparation makes them a robust and versatile tool in cardiac research and allows the investigation of long-term exposure to novel drugs on cardiomyocyte function.

Manipulating L-type calcium channels in cardiomyocytes using split-intein protein transsplicing

Manipulating expression of large genes (>6 kb) in adult cardiomyocytes is challenging because these cells are only efficiently transduced by viral vectors with a 4-7 kb packaging capacity. This limitation impedes understanding structure-function mechanisms of important proteins in heart. L-type calcium channels (LTCCs) regulate diverse facets of cardiac physiology including excitation-contraction coupling, excitability, and gene expression. Many important questions about how LTCCs mediate such multidimensional signaling are best resolved by manipulating expression of the 6.6 kb pore-forming α1C-subunit in adult cardiomyocytes. Here, we use split-intein-mediated protein transsplicing to reconstitute LTCC α1C-subunit from two distinct halves, overcoming the difficulty of expressing full-length α1C in cardiomyocytes. Split-intein-tagged α1C fragments encoding dihydropyridine-resistant channels were incorporated into adenovirus and reconstituted in cardiomyocytes. Similar to endogenous LTCCs, recombinant channels targeted to dyads, triggered Ca(2+) transients, associated with caveolin-3, and supported β-adrenergic regulation of excitation-contraction coupling. This approach lowers a longstanding technical hurdle to manipulating large proteins in cardiomyocytes.

L-type calcium channel targeting and local signalling in cardiac myocytes

In the heart, Ca(2+) influx via Ca(V)1.2 L-type calcium channels (LTCCs) is a multi-functional signal that triggers muscle contraction, controls action potential duration, and regulates gene expression. The use of LTCC Ca(2+) as a multi-dimensional signalling molecule in the heart is complicated by several aspects of cardiac physiology. Cytosolic Ca(2+) continuously cycles between ~100 nM and ~1 μM with each heartbeat due to Ca(2+) linked signalling from LTCCs to ryanodine receptors. This rapid cycling raises the question as to how cardiac myocytes distinguish the Ca(2+) fluxes originating through L-type channels that are dedicated to contraction from Ca(2+) fluxes originating from other L-type channels that are used for non-contraction-related signalling. In general, disparate Ca(2+) sources in cardiac myocytes such as current through differently localized LTCCs as well as from IP3 receptors can signal selectively to Ca(2+)-dependent effectors in local microdomains that can be impervious to the cytoplasmic Ca(2+) transients that drive contraction. A particular challenge for diversified signalling via cardiac LTCCs is that they are voltage-gated and, therefore, open and presumably flood their microdomains with Ca(2+) with each action potential. Thus spatial localization of Cav1.2 channels to different types of microdomains of the ventricular cardiomyocyte membrane as well as the existence of particular macromolecular complexes in each Cav1.2 microdomain are important to effect different types of Cav1.2 signalling. In this review we examine aspects of Cav1.2 structure, targeting and signalling in two specialized membrane microdomains--transverse tubules and caveolae.

Dynamic of Ion Channel Expression at the Plasma Membrane of Cardiomyocytes

Cardiac myocytes are characterized by distinct structural and functional entities involved in the generation and transmission of the action potential and the excitation-contraction coupling process. Key to their function is the specific organization of ion channels and transporters to and within distinct membrane domains, which supports the anisotropic propagation of the depolarization wave. This review addresses the current knowledge on the molecular actors regulating the distinct trafficking and targeting mechanisms of ion channels in the highly polarized cardiac myocyte. In addition to ubiquitous mechanisms shared by other excitable cells, cardiac myocytes show unique specialization, illustrated by the molecular organization of myocyte-myocyte contacts, e.g., the intercalated disc and the gap junction. Many factors contribute to the specialization of the cardiac sarcolemma and the functional expression of cardiac ion channels, including various anchoring proteins, motors, small GTPases, membrane lipids, and cholesterol. The discovery of genetic defects in some of these actors, leading to complex cardiac disorders, emphasizes the importance of trafficking and targeting of ion channels to cardiac function. A major challenge in the field is to understand how these and other actors work together in intact myocytes to fine-tune ion channel expression and control cardiac excitability.

Mesoscopic analysis of motion and conformation of cross-bridges

The orientation of a cross-bridge is widely used as a parameter in determining the state of muscle. The conventional measurements of orientation, such as that made by wide-field fluorescence microscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) or X-ray diffraction or scattering, report the average orientation of 10¹²-10⁹ myosin cross-bridges. Under conditions where all the cross-bridges are immobile and assume the same orientation, for example in normal skeletal muscle in rigor, it is possible to determine the average orientation from such global measurements. But in actively contracting muscle, where a parameter indicating orientation fluctuates in time, the measurements of the average value provide no information about cross-bridge kinetics. To avoid problems associated with averaging information from trillions of cross-bridges, it is necessary to decrease the number of observed cross-bridges to a mesoscopic value (i.e. the value affected by fluctuations around the average). In such mesoscopic regimes, the averaging of the signal is minimal and dynamic behavior can be examined in great detail. Examples of mesoscopic analysis on skeletal and cardiac muscle are provided.