cAMP modulates glucocorticoid-induced protein accumulation and glucocorticoid receptor in cardiomyocytes

Dexamethasone Treatment of Newborn Rats Decreases Cardiomyocyte Endowment in the Developing Heart through Epigenetic Modifications

The potential adverse effect of synthetic glucocorticoid, dexamethasone therapy on the developing heart remains unknown. The present study investigated the effects of dexamethasone on cardiomyocyte proliferation and binucleation in the developing heart of newborn rats and evaluated DNA methylation as a potential mechanism. Dexamethasone was administered intraperitoneally in a three day tapered dose on postnatal day 1 (P1), 2 and 3 to rat pups in the absence or presence of a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist Ru486, given 30 minutes prior to dexamethasone. Cardiomyocytes from P4, P7 or P14 animals were analyzed for proliferation, binucleation and cell number. Dexamethasone treatment significantly increased the percentage of binucleated cardiomyocytes in the hearts of P4 pups, decreased myocyte proliferation in P4 and P7 pups, reduced cardiomyocyte number and increased the heart to body weight ratio in P14 pups. Ru486 abrogated the effects of dexamethasone. In addition, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-AZA) blocked the effects of dexamethasone on binucleation in P4 animals and proliferation at P7, leading to recovered cardiomyocyte number in P14 hearts. 5-AZA alone promoted cardiomyocyte proliferation at P7 and resulted in a higher number of cardiomyocytes in P14 hearts. Dexamethasone significantly decreased cyclin D2, but not p27 expression in P4 hearts. 5-AZA inhibited global DNA methylation and blocked dexamethasone-mediated down-regulation of cyclin D2 in the heart of P4 pups. The findings suggest that dexamethasone acting on glucocorticoid receptors inhibits proliferation and stimulates premature terminal differentiation of cardiomyocytes in the developing heart via increased DNA methylation in a gene specific manner.

T-type Ca²+ signalling regulates aldosterone-induced CREB activation and cell death through PP2A activation in neonatal cardiomyocytes

AIMS

We have investigated Ca²(+) signalling generated by aldosterone-induced T-type current (I(CaT)), the effects of I(CaT) in neonatal cardiomyocytes, and a putative role for I(CaT) in cardiomyocytes during cardiac pathology induced by stenosis in an adult rat.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Neonatal rat cardiomyocytes treated with aldosterone showed an increase in I(CaT) density, principally due to the upregulation of the T-type channel Ca(v)3.1 (by 80%). Aldosterone activated cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB), and this activation was enhanced by blocking I(CaT) or by inhibiting protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity. Aldosterone induced PP2A activity, an induction that was prevented upon I(CaT) blockade. I(CaT) exerted a negative feedback regulation on the transcription of the Ca(v)3.1 gene, and the activation of PP2A by I(CaT) led to increased levels of the pro-apoptotic markers caspase 9 and Bcl-x(S) and decreased levels of the anti-apoptotic marker Bcl-2. These findings were corroborated by flow cytometry analysis for apoptosis and necrosis. Similarly, in a rat model of cardiac disease, I(CaT) re-emergence was associated with a decrease in CREB activation and was correlated with increases in caspase 9 and Bcl-x(S) and a decrease in Bcl-2 levels.

CONCLUSION

Our findings establish PP2A/CREB as targets of I(CaT)-generated Ca²(+) signalling and identify an important role for I(CaT) in cardiomyocyte cell death.

Forskolin and dexamethasone synergistically induce aromatase (CYP19) expression in the human osteoblastic cell line SV-HFO

OBJECTIVE

Recent progress supports the importance of local estrogen secretion in human bone tissues to increase and maintain bone mineral density. In a previous study, we reported that the expression of aromatase (CYP19) is dexamethasone (Dex)-dependent and oncostatin M (OSM) increases the expression synergistically with Dex. In the present study, we examined the effects of forskolin (FSK) as another potential synergistic factor.

RESULTS

Co-administration of 100 nM Dex and 10 microM FSK increased aromatase activity 4-fold compared with Dex alone. The results of reverse transcriptase (RT)-PCR suggest that the amount of CYP19 gene transcript was also up-regulated by FSK synergistically with Dex, and that promoter I.4, which is not activated by FSK alone, is activated by FSK synergistically with Dex. The results of RT-PCR also suggest that promoter II, which responds to FSK, was not activated even in the presence of FSK in SV-HFO. The promoter I.4 sequence that was transfected into SV-HFO was activated by FSK synergistically with Dex.

CONCLUSIONS

Synergistic up-regulation of aromatase activity, CYP19 gene transcript, and promoter I.4 activity were Dex-dependent and not up-regulated by FSK alone. The results of this work may form the basis of bone-specific estrogen-replacement therapy that increases the estrogen concentration in bone tissue only.