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Huo Y, Wang W, Zhang J, Xu D, Bai F, Gui Y. Maternal androgen excess inhibits fetal cardiomyocytes proliferation through RB-mediated cell cycle arrest and induces cardiac hypertrophy in adulthood. J Endocrinol Invest 2024; 47:603-617. [PMID: 37642904 PMCID: PMC10904501 DOI: 10.1007/s40618-023-02178-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Maternal hyperandrogenism during pregnancy is associated with adverse gestational outcomes and chronic non-communicable diseases in offspring. However, few studies are reported to demonstrate the association between maternal androgen excess and cardiac health in offspring. This study aimed to explore the relation between androgen exposure in utero and cardiac health of offspring in fetal and adult period. Its underlying mechanism is also illustrated in this research. METHODS Pregnant mice were injected with dihydrotestosterone (DHT) from gestational day (GD) 16.5 to GD18.5. On GD18.5, fetal heart tissue was collected for metabolite and morphological analysis. The hearts from adult offspring were also collected for morphological and qPCR analysis. H9c2 cells were treated with 75 μM androsterone. Immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, qPCR, and western blot were performed to observe cell proliferation and explore the underlying mechanism. RESULTS Intrauterine exposure to excessive androgen led to thinner ventricular wall, decreased number of cardiomyocytes in fetal offspring and caused cardiac hypertrophy, compromised cardiac function in adult offspring. The analysis of steroid hormone metabolites in fetal heart tissue by ultra performance liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry showed that the content of androgen metabolite androsterone was significantly increased. Mechanistically, H9c2 cells treated with androsterone led to a significant decrease in phosphorylated retinoblastoma protein (pRB) and cell cycle-related protein including cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4), and cyclin D1 (CCND1) in cardiomyocytes. This resulted in cell cycle arrest at G1-S phase, which in turn inhibited cardiomyocyte proliferation. CONCLUSION Taken together, our results indicate that in utero exposure to DHT, its metabolite androsterone could directly decrease cardiomyocytes proliferation through cell cycle arrest, which has a life-long-lasting effect on cardiac health. Our study highlights the importance of monitoring sex hormones in women during pregnancy and the follow-up of cardiac function in offspring with high risk of intrauterine androgen exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Huo
- National Children's Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201102, China
- National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Neonatal Diseases, Fudan University, 399 Wanyuan Road, Minhang, Shanghai, 201102, China
| | - W Wang
- Guangzhou Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Guangzhou, 510080, China
| | - J Zhang
- National Children's Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201102, China
- National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Neonatal Diseases, Fudan University, 399 Wanyuan Road, Minhang, Shanghai, 201102, China
- Institute of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, 201102, China
| | - D Xu
- National Children's Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201102, China
- National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Neonatal Diseases, Fudan University, 399 Wanyuan Road, Minhang, Shanghai, 201102, China
| | - F Bai
- National Children's Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201102, China
- National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Neonatal Diseases, Fudan University, 399 Wanyuan Road, Minhang, Shanghai, 201102, China
| | - Y Gui
- National Children's Medical Center, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Fudan University, Shanghai, 201102, China.
- National Health Commission (NHC) Key Laboratory of Neonatal Diseases, Fudan University, 399 Wanyuan Road, Minhang, Shanghai, 201102, China.
- Cardiovascular Center, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, 201102, China.
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Galow AM, Brenmoehl J, Hoeflich A. Synergistic effects of hormones on structural and functional maturation of cardiomyocytes and implications for heart regeneration. Cell Mol Life Sci 2023; 80:240. [PMID: 37541969 PMCID: PMC10403476 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-023-04894-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2023] [Revised: 07/18/2023] [Accepted: 07/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023]
Abstract
The limited endogenous regenerative capacity of the human heart renders cardiovascular diseases a major health threat, thus motivating intense research on in vitro heart cell generation and cell replacement therapies. However, so far, in vitro-generated cardiomyocytes share a rather fetal phenotype, limiting their utility for drug testing and cell-based heart repair. Various strategies to foster cellular maturation provide some success, but fully matured cardiomyocytes are still to be achieved. Today, several hormones are recognized for their effects on cardiomyocyte proliferation, differentiation, and function. Here, we will discuss how the endocrine system impacts cardiomyocyte maturation. After detailing which features characterize a mature phenotype, we will contemplate hormones most promising to induce such a phenotype, the routes of their action, and experimental evidence for their significance in this process. Due to their pleiotropic effects, hormones might be not only valuable to improve in vitro heart cell generation but also beneficial for in vivo heart regeneration. Accordingly, we will also contemplate how the presented hormones might be exploited for hormone-based regenerative therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne-Marie Galow
- Institute of Genome Biology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany.
| | - Julia Brenmoehl
- Institute of Genome Biology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany
| | - Andreas Hoeflich
- Institute of Genome Biology, Research Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany
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Salameh S, Ogueri V, Posnack NG. Adapting to a new environment: postnatal maturation of the human cardiomyocyte. J Physiol 2023; 601:2593-2619. [PMID: 37031380 PMCID: PMC10775138 DOI: 10.1113/jp283792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The postnatal mammalian heart undergoes remarkable developmental changes, which are stimulated by the transition from the intrauterine to extrauterine environment. With birth, increased oxygen levels promote metabolic, structural and biophysical maturation of cardiomyocytes, resulting in mature muscle with increased efficiency, contractility and electrical conduction. In this Topical Review article, we highlight key studies that inform our current understanding of human cardiomyocyte maturation. Collectively, these studies suggest that human atrial and ventricular myocytes evolve quickly within the first year but might not reach a fully mature adult phenotype until nearly the first decade of life. However, it is important to note that fetal, neonatal and paediatric cardiac physiology studies are hindered by a number of limitations, including the scarcity of human tissue, small sample size and a heavy reliance on diseased tissue samples, often without age-matched healthy controls. Future developmental studies are warranted to expand our understanding of normal cardiac physiology/pathophysiology and inform age-appropriate treatment strategies for cardiac disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shatha Salameh
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
- Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Vanessa Ogueri
- Children’s National Heart Institute, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Nikki Gillum Posnack
- Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
- Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
- Children’s National Heart Institute, Children’s National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
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Ramamoorthi Elangovan V, Saadat N, Ghnenis A, Padmanabhan V, Vyas AK. Developmental programming: adverse sexually dimorphic transcriptional programming of gestational testosterone excess in cardiac left ventricle of fetal sheep. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2682. [PMID: 36792653 PMCID: PMC9932081 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29212-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Adverse in-utero insults during fetal life alters offspring's developmental trajectory, including that of the cardiovascular system. Gestational hyperandrogenism is once such adverse in-utero insult. Gestational testosterone (T)-treatment, an environment of gestational hyperandrogenism, manifests as hypertension and pathological left ventricular (LV) remodeling in adult ovine offspring. Furthermore, sexual dimorphism is noted in cardiomyocyte number and morphology in fetal life and at birth. This study investigated transcriptional changes and potential biomarkers of prenatal T excess-induced adverse cardiac programming. Genome-wide coding and non-coding (nc) RNA expression were compared between prenatal T-treated (T propionate 100 mg intramuscular twice weekly from days 30 to 90 of gestation; Term: 147 days) and control ovine LV at day 90 fetus in both sexes. Prenatal T induced differential expression of mRNAs in the LV of female (2 down, 5 up) and male (3 down, 1 up) (FDR < 0.05, absolute log2 fold change > 0.5); pathways analysis demonstrated 205 pathways unique to the female, 382 unique to the male and 23 common pathways. In the male, analysis of ncRNA showed differential regulation of 15 lncRNAs (14 down, 1 up) and 27 snoRNAs (26 down and 1 up). These findings suggest sexual dimorphic modulation of cardiac coding and ncRNA with gestational T excess.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nadia Saadat
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Adel Ghnenis
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | | | - Arpita K Vyas
- College of Medicine, California Northstate University, Elk Grove, CA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, School of Medicine, Washington University, St Louis, MO, USA.
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Ghnenis A, Padmanabhan V, Vyas A. Sexual dimorphism in testosterone programming of cardiomyocyte development in sheep. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2022; 322:H607-H621. [PMID: 35119334 PMCID: PMC8957338 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00691.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 01/19/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Perturbed in utero hormone milieu leads to intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), a known risk factor for left ventricular (LV) dysfunction later in life. Gestational testosterone (T) excess predisposes offspring to IUGR and leads to LV myocardial disarray and hypertension in adult females. However, the early impact of T excess on LV programming and if it is female specific is unknown. LV tissues were obtained at day 90 gestation from days 30-90 T-treated or control fetuses (n = 6/group/sex) and morphometric and molecular analyses were conducted. Gestational T treatment increased cardiomyocyte number only in female fetuses. T excess upregulated receptor expression of insulin and insulin-like growth factor. Furthermore, in a sex-specific manner, T increased expression of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) while downregulating phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (pmTOR)-to-mTOR ratio suggestive of compensatory response. T excess 1) upregulated atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), markers of stress and cardiac hypertrophy and 2) upregulated estrogen receptors1 (ESR1) and 2 (ESR2), but not in androgen receptor (AR). Thus, gestational T excess upregulated markers of cardiac stress and hypertrophy in both sexes while inducing cardiomyocyte hyperplasia only in females, likely mediated via insulin and estrogenic programming.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The present study demonstrates sex-specific effects of gestational T excess between days 30 and 90 of gestation on the cardiac phenotype. Furthermore, the sex-specific programming is likely secondary to perturbation in both estrogen and insulin signaling pathways collectively. These findings are supportive of the role of androgen excess to serve as early biomarkers of CVD and could be critical in identifying therapeutic targets for LV hypertrophy and predict long-term CVD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adel Ghnenis
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan
| | | | - Arpita Vyas
- College of Human Medicine, California Northstate University, Elk Grove, California
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Barsky M, Merkison J, Hosseinzadeh P, Yang L, Bruno-Gaston J, Dunn J, Gibbons W, Blesson CS. Fetal programming of polycystic ovary syndrome: Effects of androgen exposure on prenatal ovarian development. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 2021; 207:105830. [PMID: 33515680 PMCID: PMC8056856 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2021.105830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common form of anovulatory infertility with a strong hereditary component but no candidate genes have been found. The inheritance pattern may be due to in utero androgen programming on gene expression and mitochondria. Mitochondria are maternally inherited and alterations to mitochondria after fetal androgen exposure may explain one of the mechanisms of fetal programming in PCOS. Our aim was to investigate the role of excessive prenatal androgens in ovarian development by identifying how hyperandrogenemia affects gene expression and mitochondria in neonatal ovary. Pregnant dams were injected with dihydrotestosterone on days 16-18 of pregnancy. Day 0 ovaries were collected for gene expression and mitochondrial studies. RNAseq showed differential gene expressions which were related to mitochondrial dysfunction, fetal gonadal development, oocyte maturation, metabolism, angiogenesis, and PCOS. Top 20 up and downregulated genes were validated with qPCR and Western Blot. Transcriptional pathways involved in folliculogenesis and genes involved in ovarian and mitochondrial function were dysregulated. Further, DHT exposure altered mitochondrial ultrastructure and function by increasing mitochondrial oxygen consumption and decreasing mitochondrial efficiency with increased proton leak within the first day of life. Our data indicates that one path that leads to PCOS begins at birth and is programmed in utero by androgens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maya Barsky
- Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 77030, TX, USA; Family Fertility Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, 77030, TX, USA
| | - Jamie Merkison
- Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 77030, TX, USA
| | - Pardis Hosseinzadeh
- Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 77030, TX, USA
| | - Liubin Yang
- Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 77030, TX, USA
| | - Janet Bruno-Gaston
- Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 77030, TX, USA; Family Fertility Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, 77030, TX, USA
| | | | - William Gibbons
- Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 77030, TX, USA; Family Fertility Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, 77030, TX, USA
| | - Chellakkan Selvanesan Blesson
- Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Division, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, 77030, TX, USA; Family Fertility Center, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, 77030, TX, USA.
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Jonker SS, Giraud GD, Chang EI, Elman MR, Louey S. Coronary vascular growth matches IGF-1-stimulated cardiac growth in fetal sheep. FASEB J 2020; 34:10041-10055. [PMID: 32573852 DOI: 10.1096/fj.202000215r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Revised: 04/24/2020] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
As loss of contractile function in heart disease could often be mitigated by increased cardiomyocyte number, expansion of cardiomyocyte endowment paired with increased vascular supply is a desirable therapeutic goal. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) administration increases fetal cardiomyocyte proliferation and heart mass, but how fetal IGF-1 treatment affects coronary growth and function is unknown. Near-term fetal sheep underwent surgical instrumentation and were studied from 127 to 134 d gestation (term = 147 d), receiving either IGF-1 LR3 or vehicle. Coronary growth and function were interrogated using pressure-flow relationships, an episode of acute hypoxia with progressive blockade of adenosine receptors and nitric oxide synthase, and by modeling the determinants of coronary flow. The main findings were that coronary conductance was preserved on a per-gram basis following IGF-1 treatment, adenosine and nitric oxide contributed to hypoxia-mediated coronary vasodilation similarly in IGF-1-treated and Control fetuses, and the relationships between coronary flow and blood oxygen contents were similar between groups. We conclude that IGF-1-stimulated fetal myocardial growth is accompanied by appropriate expansion and function of the coronary vasculature. These findings support IGF-1 as a potential strategy to increase cardiac myocyte and coronary vascular endowment at birth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonnet S Jonker
- Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Center for Developmental Health, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - George D Giraud
- Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Center for Developmental Health, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.,Division of Cardiology, VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Eileen I Chang
- Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Center for Developmental Health, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Miriam R Elman
- School of Public Health, Oregon Health & Science University-Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Samantha Louey
- Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Center for Developmental Health, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
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James WH, Grech V. Potential explanations of behavioural and other differences and similarities between males and females with autism spectrum disorder. Early Hum Dev 2020; 140:104863. [PMID: 31493928 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2019.104863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Several potential explanations may be dependent on the dynamics of prenatal and postnatal testosterone in males and females, and to be consistent with Baron-Cohen's concept of extreme male brain. This paper explores the evidence that male and female autistic subjects differ on the average in that they have had different exposures to the causes of autism, females bearing higher genetic burdens for ASD (autistic spectrum disorder), and males having a greater exposure to high intrauterine levels of testosterone (T). The high levels of intrauterine (and possibly postnatal) testosterone to which ASD cases have been exposed, cause a less masculinized physical habitus (including facial features) in exposed males, and a more masculinized physical habitus in exposed females. ASD genes (as opposed to intrauterine testosterone) are mainly responsible for a low mean IQ in ASD (especially female cases). Exposure to high intrauterine T increases the probability that foetuses will be male, thus potentially explaining the high sex ratio (proportion male) of cases of ASD. The Gender Incoherence Model seems to be based on facts unrelated directly to autism. The shifts towards the other sex are argued to be consequent on sex-different reactions to prenatal exposure to high T, not on the pathology itself. The suspected underdiagnosis of female cases is partially dependent on the different proportions of environmental and genetic causes to which male and female cases are hypothesized to have been exposed, and the consequent 'more normal' behaviour of female cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- William H James
- Galton Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Department of Paediatrics, Medical School, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta.
| | - Victor Grech
- Galton Laboratory, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Department of Paediatrics, Medical School, Mater Dei Hospital, Malta.
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