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Zhao T, Jin K, Wang X, Su X, Wang Y, Gao M, Luo W, Yang H, Yang Z. GPAT4 sustains endoplasmic reticulum homeostasis in endocardial cells and safeguards heart development. Nat Commun 2025; 16:3345. [PMID: 40199910 PMCID: PMC11978851 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-58722-5] [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: 03/19/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2025] [Indexed: 04/10/2025] Open
Abstract
The endocardium plays a pivotal role in governing myocardial development, and understanding the intrinsic regulatory insights will help apprehend pathological cardiomyopathy. Glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase 4 (GPAT4) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane anchored protein. While the role of GPAT4 in glycerophospholipid biosynthesis is well established, its function in the ER is less explored. Here, we generate Gpat4 global and tissue-specific knockout mice and identify the essential role of GPAT4 in endocardial development. Deficiency of GPAT4 provokes endocardial ER stress response and enhances ER-mitochondrial (ER-mito) communications, leading to mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) escape. As a result, the cGAS-STING pathway is triggered to stimulate type-I-interferon response, which affects heart development. Finally, abolishment of the cGAS-STING-type-I-interferon pathway rescues the heart defects of Gpat4 deletion mice. These findings uncover the pivotal role of GPAT4 in the maintenance of ER homeostasis during endocardial and heart development. Meanwhile, this study highlights the importance of the cGAS-STING pathway in cardiac organogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tianyang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Kuipei Jin
- Laboratory of Lipid Metabolism, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Medical Biotechnology of Hebei Province, Cardiovascular Medical Science Center, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
- Department of Food and Drug Engineering, Shijiazhuang College of Applied Technology, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, PR China
| | - Xiaodong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China
| | - Xiong Su
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, School of Life Sciences, Suzhou Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, China
| | - Youjun Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Gene Resources and Molecular Development, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, PR China
| | - Mingming Gao
- Laboratory of Lipid Metabolism, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Key Laboratory of Neural and Vascular Biology, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory of Medical Biotechnology of Hebei Province, Cardiovascular Medical Science Center, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
| | - Wen Luo
- Institute of Modern Biology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, China.
| | - Hongyuan Yang
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
- Department of Integrative Biology and Pharmacology, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
| | - Zhongzhou Yang
- State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, MOE Key Laboratory of Model Animal for Disease Study, Model Animal Research Center, and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, China.
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Ji P, Grande-Allen KJ, Balaji S, Birla RK, Keswani SG. Shear Stress Conditioning Promotes a Pro-Inflammatory Response in Porcine Endocardial Endothelial Cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2025:2025.02.03.636291. [PMID: 39975174 PMCID: PMC11838557 DOI: 10.1101/2025.02.03.636291] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2025]
Abstract
PURPOSE Discrete subaortic stenosis (DSS) is a congenital heart disease characterized by a narrowing of the passage below the aortic valve in the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) [1]. While endocardial endothelial cells (EECs) are known to play a role in DSS, the response of these cells to shear stress is not known. In this study, we hypothesize that the response of EECs to shear stress in the LVOT is a mediator of DSS. METHODS To test this hypothesis, we conditioned porcine EECs to controlled shear stress regimes using cone and plate bioreactors. Subsequently, we quantified the concentration of proinflammatory cytokine in the conditioned media using the Luminex assay. Bulk-RNA sequencing was used to quantify changes in the genotype of the shear stress conditioned EECs. RESULTS The expression of CD31 was knocked down and subsequently, the changes in release of shear stress induced proinflammatory cytokines released by EECs quantified using the Luminex assay. The results of these studies show that the inflammatory cytokines were highly selected in the conditioning medium, and under bioreactor treatment the cell activated the PI3K-AKT and TNF-a signaling, which also triggered the other immune cell responses though Th1, Th2 and Th17 cell differentiation pathways. Furthermore, CD31 was identified as a mediator of the pro-inflammatory response of shear stress conditioned EECs. CONCLUSIONS The studies provide a clear link between shear stress, and the subsequent proinflammatory response of EECs as a mediator of DSS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengfei Ji
- Laboratory for Regenerative Tissue Repair, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Center for Congenital Cardiac Research, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Congenital Heart Surgery, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Swathi Balaji
- Laboratory for Regenerative Tissue Repair, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Ravi K. Birla
- Laboratory for Regenerative Tissue Repair, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Center for Congenital Cardiac Research, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Congenital Heart Surgery, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Sundeep G. Keswani
- Laboratory for Regenerative Tissue Repair, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Congenital Heart Surgery, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
- Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA
- Division of Pediatric Surgery, Department of Surgery, Texas Children’s Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
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Jensen B, Andelfinger GU, Postma AV. Molecular Pathways and Animal Models of Ebstein's Anomaly. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2024; 1441:915-928. [PMID: 38884760 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-44087-8_58] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Ebstein's anomaly is a congenital malformation of the tricuspid valve characterized by abnormal attachment of the valve leaflets, resulting in varying degrees of valve dysfunction. The anatomic hallmarks of this entity are the downward displacement of the attachment of the septal and posterior leaflets of the tricuspid valve. Additional intracardiac malformations are common. From an embryological point of view, the cavity of the future right atrium does not have a direct orifice connected to the developing right ventricle. This chapter provides an overview of current insight into how this connection is formed and how malformations of the tricuspid valve arise from dysregulation of molecular and morphological events involved in this process. Furthermore, mouse models that show features of Ebstein's anomaly and the naturally occurring model of canine tricuspid valve malformation are described and compared to the human model. Although Ebstein's anomaly remains one of the least understood cardiac malformations to date, the studies summarized here provide, in aggregate, evidence for monogenic and oligogenic factors driving pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bjarke Jensen
- Department of Medical Biology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Gregor U Andelfinger
- Cardiovascular Genetics, Department of Pediatrics, CHU Sainte Justine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Alex V Postma
- Department of Medical Biology, Amsterdam Cardiovascular Sciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
- Department of Human Genetics, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Qu X, Harmelink C, Baldwin HS. Endocardial-Myocardial Interactions During Early Cardiac Differentiation and Trabeculation. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:857581. [PMID: 35600483 PMCID: PMC9116504 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.857581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Throughout the continuum of heart formation, myocardial growth and differentiation occurs in concert with the development of a specialized population of endothelial cells lining the cardiac lumen, the endocardium. Once the endocardial cells are specified, they are in close juxtaposition to the cardiomyocytes, which facilitates communication between the two cell types that has been proven to be critical for both early cardiac development and later myocardial function. Endocardial cues orchestrate cardiomyocyte proliferation, survival, and organization. Additionally, the endocardium enables oxygenated blood to reach the cardiomyocytes. Cardiomyocytes, in turn, secrete factors that promote endocardial growth and function. As misregulation of this delicate and complex endocardial-myocardial interplay can result in congenital heart defects, further delineation of underlying genetic and molecular factors involved in cardiac paracrine signaling will be vital in the development of therapies to promote cardiac homeostasis and regeneration. Herein, we highlight the latest research that has advanced the elucidation of endocardial-myocardial interactions in early cardiac morphogenesis, including endocardial and myocardial crosstalk necessary for cellular differentiation and tissue remodeling during trabeculation, as well as signaling critical for endocardial growth during trabeculation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xianghu Qu
- Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Cristina Harmelink
- Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - H. Scott Baldwin
- Department of Pediatrics (Cardiology), Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
- Department of Cell and Development Biology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
- *Correspondence: H. Scott Baldwin
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Feulner L, van Vliet PP, Puceat M, Andelfinger G. Endocardial Regulation of Cardiac Development. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2022; 9:jcdd9050122. [PMID: 35621833 PMCID: PMC9144171 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd9050122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The endocardium is a specialized form of endothelium that lines the inner side of the heart chambers and plays a crucial role in cardiac development. While comparatively less studied than other cardiac cell types, much progress has been made in understanding the regulation of and by the endocardium over the past two decades. In this review, we will summarize what is currently known regarding endocardial origin and development, the relationship between endocardium and other cardiac cell types, and the various lineages that endocardial cells derive from and contribute to. These processes are driven by key molecular mechanisms such as Notch and BMP signaling. These pathways in particular have been well studied, but other signaling pathways and mechanical cues also play important roles. Finally, we will touch on the contribution of stem cell modeling in combination with single cell sequencing and its potential translational impact for congenital heart defects such as bicuspid aortic valves and hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The detailed understanding of cellular and molecular processes in the endocardium will be vital to further develop representative stem cell-derived models for disease modeling and regenerative medicine in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lara Feulner
- Cardiovascular Genetics, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada; (L.F.); (P.P.v.V.)
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Patrick Piet van Vliet
- Cardiovascular Genetics, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada; (L.F.); (P.P.v.V.)
- LIA (International Associated Laboratory) CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada;
- LIA (International Associated Laboratory) INSERM, 13885 Marseille, France
| | - Michel Puceat
- LIA (International Associated Laboratory) CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada;
- LIA (International Associated Laboratory) INSERM, 13885 Marseille, France
- INSERM U-1251, Marseille Medical Genetics, Aix-Marseille University, 13885 Marseille, France
| | - Gregor Andelfinger
- Cardiovascular Genetics, CHU Sainte-Justine Research Centre, Montreal, QC H3T 1C5, Canada; (L.F.); (P.P.v.V.)
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
- Correspondence:
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Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS): molecular pathogenesis and emerging drug targets for cardiac repair and regeneration. Expert Opin Ther Targets 2021; 25:621-632. [PMID: 34488532 DOI: 10.1080/14728222.2021.1978069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a severe developmental defect characterized by the underdevelopment of the left ventricle along with aortic and valvular defects. Multiple palliative surgeries are required for survival. Emerging studies have identified potential mechanisms for the disease onset, including genetic and hemodynamic causes. Genetic variants associated with HLHS include transcription factors, chromatin remodelers, structural proteins, and signaling proteins necessary for normal heart development. Nonetheless, current therapies are being tested clinically and have shown promising results at improving cardiac function in patients who have undergone palliative surgeries. AREAS COVERED We searched PubMed and clinicaltrials.gov to review most of the mechanistic research and clinical trials involving HLHS. This review discusses the anatomy and pathology of HLHS hearts. We highlight some of the identified genetic variants that underly the molecular pathogenesis of HLHS. Additionally, we discuss some of the emerging therapies and their limitations for HLHS. EXPERT OPINION While HLHS etiology is largely obscure, palliative therapies remain the most viable option for the patients. It is necessary to generate animal and stem cell models to understand the underlying genetic causes directly leading to HLHS and facilitate the use of gene-based therapies to improve cardiac development and regeneration.
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Chu X, Wang M, Qiu X, Huang Y, Li T, Otieno E, Li N, Luo L, Xiao X. Strategies for constructing pluripotent stem cell- and progenitor cell-derived three-dimensional cardiac micro-tissues. J Biomed Mater Res A 2021; 110:488-503. [PMID: 34397148 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.37298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2021] [Revised: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Three-dimensional (3D) cardiac micro-tissue is a promising model for simulating the structural and functional features of heart in vitro. This scientific achievement provides a platform for exploration about the mechanisms on the development, damage, and regeneration of tissue, hence, paving a way toward development of novel therapies for heart diseases. However, 3D micro-tissue technology is still in its infant stages faced with many challenges such as incompleteness of the tissue microarchitecture, loss of the resident immune cells, poor reproducibility, and deficiencies in continuously feeding the nutrients and removing wastes during micro-tissue culturing. There is an urgent need to optimize the construction of 3D cardiac micro-tissue and improve functions of the involved cells. Therefore, scaffolds and cell resources for building 3D cardiac micro-tissues, strategies for inducing the maturation and functionalization of pluripotent stem cell- or cardiac progenitor cell-derived cardiomyocytes, and the major challenges were reviewed in this writing to enable future fabrication of 3D cardiac micro-tissues or organoids for drug screening, disease modeling, regeneration treatment, and so on.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyue Chu
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Mingyu Wang
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing, China.,Institute of Laboratory Animals Science, Chongqing Academy of Chinese Materia Medica, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiaoyan Qiu
- Department of Animal Husbandry Engineering, College of Animal Science and Technology, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yun Huang
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Tong Li
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Edward Otieno
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Na Li
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Li Luo
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiong Xiao
- Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Southwest University, Chongqing, China
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8
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Ling S, Jenkins MW, Watanabe M, Ford SM, Rollins AM. Prenatal ethanol exposure impairs the conduction delay at the atrioventricular junction in the looping heart. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2021; 321:H294-H305. [PMID: 34142884 PMCID: PMC8526336 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00107.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 06/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The etiology of ethanol-related congenital heart defects has been the focus of much study, but most research has concentrated on cellular and molecular mechanisms. We have shown with optical coherence tomography (OCT) that ethanol exposure led to increased retrograde flow and smaller atrioventricular (AV) cushions compared with controls. Since AV cushions play a role in patterning the conduction delay at the atrioventricular junction (AVJ), this study aims to investigate whether ethanol exposure alters the AVJ conduction in early looping hearts and whether this alteration is related to the decreased cushion size. Quail embryos were exposed to a single dose of ethanol at gastrulation, and Hamburger-Hamilton stage 19-20 hearts were dissected for imaging. Cardiac conduction was measured using an optical mapping microscope and we imaged the endocardial cushions using OCT. Our results showed that, compared with controls, ethanol-exposed embryos exhibited abnormally fast AVJ conduction and reduced cushion size. However, this increased conduction velocity (CV) did not strictly correlate with decreased cushion volume and thickness. By matching the CV map to the cushion-size map along the inflow heart tube, we found that the slowest conduction location was consistently at the atrial side of the AVJ, which had the thinner cushions, not at the thickest cushion location at the ventricular side as expected. Our findings reveal regional differences in the AVJ myocardium even at this early stage in heart development. These findings reveal the early steps leading to the heterogeneity and complexity of conduction at the mature AVJ, a site where arrhythmias can be initiated.NEW & NOTEWORTHY To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study investigating the impact of ethanol exposure on the early cardiac conduction system. Our results showed that ethanol-exposed embryos exhibited abnormally fast atrioventricular conduction. In addition, our findings, in CV measurements and endocardial cushion thickness, reveal regional differences in the AVJ myocardium even at this early stage in heart development, suggesting that the differentiation and maturation at this site are complex and warrant further studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shan Ling
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Michael W Jenkins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Michiko Watanabe
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, The Congenital Heart Collaborative, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Stephanie M Ford
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, The Congenital Heart Collaborative, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio
- Division of Neonatology, Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Andrew M Rollins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering and School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
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Balch HB, McGuire AF, Horng J, Tsai HZ, Qi KK, Duh YS, Forrester PR, Crommie MF, Cui B, Wang F. Graphene Electric Field Sensor Enables Single Shot Label-Free Imaging of Bioelectric Potentials. NANO LETTERS 2021; 21:4944-4949. [PMID: 34102057 PMCID: PMC8510444 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c00543] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The measurement of electrical activity across systems of excitable cells underlies current progress in neuroscience, cardiac pharmacology, and neurotechnology. However, bioelectricity spans orders of magnitude in intensity, space, and time, posing substantial technological challenges. The development of methods permitting network-scale recordings with high spatial resolution remains key to studies of electrogenic cells, emergent networks, and bioelectric computation. Here, we demonstrate single-shot and label-free imaging of extracellular potentials with high resolution across a wide field-of-view. The critically coupled waveguide-amplified graphene electric field (CAGE) sensor leverages the field-sensitive optical transitions in graphene to convert electric potentials into the optical regime. As a proof-of-concept, we use the CAGE sensor to detect native electrical activity from cardiac action potentials with tens-of-microns resolution, simultaneously map the propagation of these potentials at tissue-scale, and monitor their modification by pharmacological agents. This platform is robust, scalable, and compatible with existing microscopy techniques for multimodal correlative imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Halleh B Balch
- Department of Physics, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute at the University of California Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Allister F McGuire
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Jason Horng
- Department of Physics, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute at the University of California Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Hsin-Zon Tsai
- Department of Physics, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Kevin K Qi
- Department of Physics, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Yi-Shiou Duh
- Department of Physics, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Patrick R Forrester
- Department of Physics, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Michael F Crommie
- Department of Physics, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute at the University of California Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
| | - Bianxiao Cui
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, United States
| | - Feng Wang
- Department of Physics, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Kavli Energy NanoSciences Institute at the University of California Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
- Materials Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States
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10
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Thomas K, Henley T, Rossi S, Costello MJ, Polacheck W, Griffith BE, Bressan M. Adherens junction engagement regulates functional patterning of the cardiac pacemaker cell lineage. Dev Cell 2021; 56:1498-1511.e7. [PMID: 33891897 PMCID: PMC8137639 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2021.04.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Revised: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Cardiac pacemaker cells (CPCs) rhythmically initiate the electrical impulses that drive heart contraction. CPCs display the highest rate of spontaneous depolarization in the heart despite being subjected to inhibitory electrochemical conditions that should theoretically suppress their activity. While several models have been proposed to explain this apparent paradox, the actual molecular mechanisms that allow CPCs to overcome electrogenic barriers to their function remain poorly understood. Here, we have traced CPC development at single-cell resolution and uncovered a series of cytoarchitectural patterning events that are critical for proper pacemaking. Specifically, our data reveal that CPCs dynamically modulate adherens junction (AJ) engagement to control characteristics including surface area, volume, and gap junctional coupling. This allows CPCs to adopt a structural configuration that supports their overall excitability. Thus, our data have identified a direct role for local cellular mechanics in patterning critical morphological features that are necessary for CPC electrical activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kandace Thomas
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Trevor Henley
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Simone Rossi
- Department of Mathematics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - M Joseph Costello
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - William Polacheck
- McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University, Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Boyce E Griffith
- McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Departments of Mathematics, Applied Physical Sciences, and Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Carolina Center for Interdisciplinary Applied Mathematics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Computational Medicine Program, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Michael Bressan
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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11
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Assembly of the Cardiac Pacemaking Complex: Electrogenic Principles of Sinoatrial Node Morphogenesis. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2021; 8:jcdd8040040. [PMID: 33917972 PMCID: PMC8068396 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd8040040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac pacemaker cells located in the sinoatrial node initiate the electrical impulses that drive rhythmic contraction of the heart. The sinoatrial node accounts for only a small proportion of the total mass of the heart yet must produce a stimulus of sufficient strength to stimulate the entire volume of downstream cardiac tissue. This requires balancing a delicate set of electrical interactions both within the sinoatrial node and with the downstream working myocardium. Understanding the fundamental features of these interactions is critical for defining vulnerabilities that arise in human arrhythmic disease and may provide insight towards the design and implementation of the next generation of potential cellular-based cardiac therapeutics. Here, we discuss physiological conditions that influence electrical impulse generation and propagation in the sinoatrial node and describe developmental events that construct the tissue-level architecture that appears necessary for sinoatrial node function.
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Abstract
The developing heart is formed of two tissue layers separated by an extracellular matrix (ECM) that provides chemical and physical signals to cardiac cells. While deposition of specific ECM components creates matrix diversity, the cardiac ECM is also dynamic, with modification and degradation playing important roles in ECM maturation and function. In this Review, we discuss the spatiotemporal changes in ECM composition during cardiac development that support distinct aspects of heart morphogenesis. We highlight conserved requirements for specific ECM components in human cardiac development, and discuss emerging evidence of a central role for the ECM in promoting heart regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Emily S Noël
- Department of Biomedical Science, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
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Abstract
Endocardial cells are specialized endothelial cells that, during embryogenesis, form a lining on the inside of the developing heart, which is maintained throughout life. Endocardial cells are an essential source for several lineages of the cardiovascular system including coronary endothelium, endocardial cushion mesenchyme, cardiomyocytes, mural cells, fibroblasts, liver vasculature, adipocytes, and hematopoietic cells. Alterations in the differentiation programs that give rise to these lineages has detrimental effects, including premature lethality or significant structural malformations present at birth. Here, we will review the literature pertaining to the contribution of endocardial cells to valvular, and nonvalvular lineages and highlight critical pathways required for these processes. The lineage differentiation potential of embryonic, and possibly adult, endocardial cells has therapeutic potential in the regeneration of damaged cardiac tissue or treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bailey Dye
- Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program at The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA.,Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Herma Heart Institute, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA
| | - Joy Lincoln
- Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA.,Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Herma Heart Institute, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53226, USA
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14
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Miao Y, Tian L, Martin M, Paige SL, Galdos FX, Li J, Klein A, Zhang H, Ma N, Wei Y, Stewart M, Lee S, Moonen JR, Zhang B, Grossfeld P, Mital S, Chitayat D, Wu JC, Rabinovitch M, Nelson TJ, Nie S, Wu SM, Gu M. Intrinsic Endocardial Defects Contribute to Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. Cell Stem Cell 2020; 27:574-589.e8. [PMID: 32810435 PMCID: PMC7541479 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2020.07.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Revised: 05/21/2020] [Accepted: 07/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is a complex congenital heart disease characterized by abnormalities in the left ventricle, associated valves, and ascending aorta. Studies have shown intrinsic myocardial defects but do not sufficiently explain developmental defects in the endocardial-derived cardiac valve, septum, and vasculature. Here, we identify a developmentally impaired endocardial population in HLHS through single-cell RNA profiling of hiPSC-derived endocardium and human fetal heart tissue with an underdeveloped left ventricle. Intrinsic endocardial defects contribute to abnormal endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition, NOTCH signaling, and extracellular matrix organization, key factors in valve formation. Endocardial abnormalities cause reduced cardiomyocyte proliferation and maturation by disrupting fibronectin-integrin signaling, consistent with recently described de novo HLHS mutations associated with abnormal endocardial gene and fibronectin regulation. Together, these results reveal a critical role for endocardium in HLHS etiology and provide a rationale for considering endocardial function in regenerative strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifei Miao
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Vera Moulton Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Perinatal Institute, Division of Pulmonary Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine, CuSTOM, Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Lei Tian
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Marcy Martin
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Vera Moulton Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Sharon L Paige
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Francisco X Galdos
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jibiao Li
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Alyssa Klein
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Vera Moulton Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Hao Zhang
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Ning Ma
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Yuning Wei
- Center for Personal Dynamic Regulomes, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Maria Stewart
- Perinatal Institute, Division of Pulmonary Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine, CuSTOM, Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Soah Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Jan-Renier Moonen
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Vera Moulton Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Bing Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Systems Biomedicine, Shanghai Center for Systems Biomedicine, Xin Hua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Paul Grossfeld
- Department of Pediatrics, UCSD School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Seema Mital
- Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - David Chitayat
- Department of Pediatrics, Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada; The Prenatal Diagnosis and Medical Genetics Program, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1X5, Canada
| | - Joseph C Wu
- Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Marlene Rabinovitch
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Vera Moulton Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Timothy J Nelson
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, and Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA
| | - Shuyi Nie
- School of Biological Sciences, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Sean M Wu
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Mingxia Gu
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Vera Moulton Wall Center for Pulmonary Vascular Disease, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA; Perinatal Institute, Division of Pulmonary Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA; Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine, CuSTOM, Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.
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15
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Abstract
The rate and rhythm of heart muscle contractions are coordinated by the cardiac conduction system (CCS), a generic term for a collection of different specialized muscular tissues within the heart. The CCS components initiate the electrical impulse at the sinoatrial node, propagate it from atria to ventricles via the atrioventricular node and bundle branches, and distribute it to the ventricular muscle mass via the Purkinje fibre network. The CCS thereby controls the rate and rhythm of alternating contractions of the atria and ventricles. CCS function is well conserved across vertebrates from fish to mammals, although particular specialized aspects of CCS function are found only in endotherms (mammals and birds). The development and homeostasis of the CCS involves transcriptional and regulatory networks that act in an embryonic-stage-dependent, tissue-dependent, and dose-dependent manner. This Review describes emerging data from animal studies, stem cell models, and genome-wide association studies that have provided novel insights into the transcriptional networks underlying CCS formation and function. How these insights can be applied to develop disease models and therapies is also discussed.
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16
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Abstract
Endocardial cells are specialized endothelial cells that form the innermost layer of the heart wall. By virtue of genetic lineage-tracing technology, many of the unexpected roles of endocardium during murine heart development, diseases, and regeneration have been identified recently. In addition to heart valves developed from the well-known endothelial to mesenchymal transition, recent fate-mapping studies using mouse models reveal that multiple cardiac cell lineages are also originated from the endocardium. This review focuses on a variety of different cell types that are recently reported to be endocardium derived during murine heart development, diseases, and regeneration. These multiple cell fates underpin the unprecedented roles of endocardial progenitors in function, pathological progression, and regeneration of the heart. Because emerging studies suggest that developmental mechanisms can be redeployed and recapitulated in promoting heart disease development and also cardiac repair and regeneration, understanding the mechanistic regulation of endocardial plasticity and modulation of their cell fate conversion may uncover new therapeutic potential in facilitating heart regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Zhang
- From the The State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, CAS Center for Excellence on Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China (H.Z., B.Z.); School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, China (H.Z., B.Z.); Department of Chemical Pathology, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, China (K.O.L.); and Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine of Ministry of Education, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China (B.Z.).
| | - Kathy O Lui
- From the The State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, CAS Center for Excellence on Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China (H.Z., B.Z.); School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, China (H.Z., B.Z.); Department of Chemical Pathology, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, China (K.O.L.); and Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine of Ministry of Education, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China (B.Z.).
| | - Bin Zhou
- From the The State Key Laboratory of Cell Biology, CAS Center for Excellence on Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China (H.Z., B.Z.); School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, China (H.Z., B.Z.); Department of Chemical Pathology, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, China (K.O.L.); and Key Laboratory of Regenerative Medicine of Ministry of Education, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China (B.Z.).
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17
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Goudy J, Henley T, Méndez HG, Bressan M. Simplified platform for mosaic in vivo analysis of cellular maturation in the developing heart. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10716. [PMID: 31341189 PMCID: PMC6656758 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-47009-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac cells develop within an elaborate electro-mechanical syncytium that continuously generates and reacts to biophysical force. The complexity of the cellular interactions, hemodynamic stresses, and electrical circuitry within the forming heart present significant challenges for mechanistic research into the cellular dynamics of cardiomyocyte maturation. Simply stated, it is prohibitively difficult to replicate the native electro-mechanical cardiac microenvironment in tissue culture systems favorable to high-resolution cellular/subcellular analysis, and current transgenic models of higher vertebrate heart development are limited in their ability to manipulate and assay the behavior of individual cells. As such, cardiac research currently lacks a simple experimental platform for real-time evaluation of cellular function under conditions that replicate native development. Here we report the design and validation of a rapid, low-cost system for stable in vivo somatic transgenesis that allows for individual cells to be genetically manipulated, tracked, and examined at subcellular resolution within the forming four-chambered heart. This experimental platform has several advantages over current technologies, chief among these being that mosaic cellular perturbations can be conducted without globally altering cardiac function. Consequently, direct analysis of cellular behavior can be interrogated in the absence of the organ level adaptions that often confound data interpretation in germline transgenic model organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Goudy
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA.,McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Trevor Henley
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA.,McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Hernán G Méndez
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA
| | - Michael Bressan
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA. .,McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA.
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18
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Henley T, Thomas K, Bressan M. Microinjection-based System for In Vivo Implantation of Embryonic Cardiomyocytes in the Avian Embryo. J Vis Exp 2019:10.3791/59267. [PMID: 30829335 PMCID: PMC6961565 DOI: 10.3791/59267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Interpreting the relative impact of cell autonomous patterning versus extrinsic microenvironmental influence on cell lineage determination represents a general challenge in developmental biology research. In the embryonic heart, this can be particularly difficult as regional differences in the expression of transcriptional regulators, paracrine/juxtacrine signaling cues, and hemodynamic force are all known to influence cardiomyocyte maturation. A simplified method to alter a developing cardiomyocyte's molecular and biomechanical microenvironment would, therefore, serve as a powerful technique to examine how local conditions influence cell fate and function. To address this, we have optimized a method to physically transplant juvenile cardiomyocytes into ectopic locations in the heart or the surrounding embryonic tissue. This allows us to examine how microenvironmental conditions influence cardiomyocyte fate transitions at single cell resolution within the intact embryo. Here, we describe a protocol in which embryonic myocytes can be isolated from a variety of cardiac sub-domains, dissociated, fluorescently labeled, and microinjected into host embryos with high precision. Cells can then be directly analyzed in situ using a variety of imaging and histological techniques. This protocol is a powerful alternative to traditional grafting experiments that can be prohibitively difficult in a moving tissue such as the heart. The general outline of this method can also be adapted to a variety of donor tissues and host environments, and its ease of use, low cost, and speed make it a potentially useful application for a variety of developmental studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Trevor Henley
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Kandace Thomas
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Michael Bressan
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;
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19
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Watson JN, Seagraves NJ. RNA-Seq analysis in an avian model of maternal phenylketonuria. Mol Genet Metab 2019; 126:23-29. [PMID: 30600150 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgme.2018.09.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Revised: 09/03/2018] [Accepted: 09/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Cardiac malformations (CVMs) are a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality. CVMs are particularly prevalent when the developing fetus is exposed to high levels of phenylalanine in-utero in mothers with Phenylketonuria. Yet, elucidating the underlying molecular mechanism leading to CVMs has proven difficult. In this study we used RNA-Seq to investigate an avian model of MPKU and establish differential gene expression (DEG) characteristics of the early developmental stages HH10, 12, and 14. In total, we identified 633 significantly differentially expressed genes across stages HH10, 12, and 14. As expected, functional annotation of significant DEGs identified associations seen in clinical phenotypes of MPKU including CVMs, congenital heart defects, craniofacial anomalies, central nervous system defects, and growth anomalies. Additionally, there was an overrepresentation of genes involved in cardiac muscle contraction, adrenergic signaling in cardiomyocytes, migration, proliferation, metabolism, and cell survival. Strikingly, we identified significant changes in expression with multiple genes involved in Retinoic Acid (RA) metabolism and downstream targets. Using qRTPCR, we validated these findings and identified a total of 42 genes within the RA pathway that are differentially expressed. Here, we report the first elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of cardiovascular malformations in MPKU conducted at early developmental timepoints. We provide evidence suggesting a link between PHE exposure and the alteration of RA pathway. These results are promising and offer novel findings associated with congenital heart defects in MPKU.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie N Watson
- Department of Biology, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, USA.
| | - Nikki J Seagraves
- Department of Biology, University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK, USA.
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20
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Rasouli SJ, El-Brolosy M, Tsedeke AT, Bensimon-Brito A, Ghanbari P, Maischein HM, Kuenne C, Stainier DY. The flow responsive transcription factor Klf2 is required for myocardial wall integrity by modulating Fgf signaling. eLife 2018; 7:e38889. [PMID: 30592462 PMCID: PMC6329608 DOI: 10.7554/elife.38889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 12/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Complex interplay between cardiac tissues is crucial for their integrity. The flow responsive transcription factor KLF2, which is expressed in the endocardium, is vital for cardiovascular development but its exact role remains to be defined. To this end, we mutated both klf2 paralogues in zebrafish, and while single mutants exhibit no obvious phenotype, double mutants display a novel phenotype of cardiomyocyte extrusion towards the abluminal side. This extrusion requires cardiac contractility and correlates with the mislocalization of N-cadherin from the lateral to the apical side of cardiomyocytes. Transgenic rescue data show that klf2 expression in endothelium, but not myocardium, prevents this cardiomyocyte extrusion phenotype. Transcriptome analysis of klf2 mutant hearts reveals that Fgf signaling is affected, and accordingly, we find that inhibition of Fgf signaling in wild-type animals can lead to abluminal cardiomyocyte extrusion. These studies provide new insights into how Klf2 regulates cardiovascular development and specifically myocardial wall integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Javad Rasouli
- Department of Developmental GeneticsMax Planck Institute for Heart and Lung ResearchBad NauheimGermany
| | - Mohamed El-Brolosy
- Department of Developmental GeneticsMax Planck Institute for Heart and Lung ResearchBad NauheimGermany
| | - Ayele Taddese Tsedeke
- Department of Developmental GeneticsMax Planck Institute for Heart and Lung ResearchBad NauheimGermany
| | - Anabela Bensimon-Brito
- Department of Developmental GeneticsMax Planck Institute for Heart and Lung ResearchBad NauheimGermany
| | - Parisa Ghanbari
- Department of Cardiac Development and RemodelingMax Planck Institute for Heart and Lung ResearchBad NauheimGermany
| | - Hans-Martin Maischein
- Department of Developmental GeneticsMax Planck Institute for Heart and Lung ResearchBad NauheimGermany
| | - Carsten Kuenne
- Bioinformatics Core UnitMax Planck Institute for Heart and Lung ResearchBad NauheimGermany
| | - Didier Y Stainier
- Department of Developmental GeneticsMax Planck Institute for Heart and Lung ResearchBad NauheimGermany
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21
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Thomas K, Goudy J, Henley T, Bressan M. Optical Electrophysiology in the Developing Heart. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2018; 5:E28. [PMID: 29751595 PMCID: PMC6023508 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd5020028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Revised: 04/24/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The heart is the first organ system to form in the embryo. Over the course of development, cardiomyocytes with differing morphogenetic, molecular, and physiological characteristics are specified and differentiate and integrate with one another to assemble a coordinated electromechanical pumping system that can function independently of any external stimulus. As congenital malformation of the heart presents the leading class of birth defects seen in humans, the molecular genetics of heart development have garnered much attention over the last half century. However, understanding how genetic perturbations manifest at the level of the individual cell function remains challenging to investigate. Some of the barriers that have limited our capacity to construct high-resolution, comprehensive models of cardiac physiological maturation are rapidly being removed by advancements in the reagents and instrumentation available for high-speed live imaging. In this review, we briefly introduce the history of imaging approaches for assessing cardiac development, describe some of the reagents and tools required to perform live imaging in the developing heart, and discuss how the combination of modern imaging modalities and physiological probes can be used to scale from subcellular to whole-organ analysis. Through these types of imaging approaches, critical insights into the processes of cardiac physiological development can be directly examined in real-time. Moving forward, the synthesis of modern molecular biology and imaging approaches will open novel avenues to investigate the mechanisms of cardiomyocyte maturation, providing insight into the etiology of congenital heart defects, as well as serving to direct approaches for designing stem-cell or regenerative medicine protocols for clinical application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kandace Thomas
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
| | - Julie Goudy
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
| | - Trevor Henley
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
| | - Michael Bressan
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, McAllister Heart Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
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22
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Hoang P, Wang J, Conklin BR, Healy KE, Ma Z. Generation of spatial-patterned early-developing cardiac organoids using human pluripotent stem cells. Nat Protoc 2018; 13:723-737. [PMID: 29543795 DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2018.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
The creation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) has provided an unprecedented opportunity to study tissue morphogenesis and organ development through 'organogenesis-in-a-dish'. Current approaches to cardiac organoid engineering rely on either direct cardiac differentiation from embryoid bodies (EBs) or generation of aligned cardiac tissues from predifferentiated cardiomyocytes from monolayer hiPSCs. To experimentally model early cardiac organogenesis in vitro, our protocol combines biomaterials-based cell patterning with stem cell organoid engineering. 3D cardiac microchambers are created from 2D hiPSC colonies; these microchambers approximate an early-development heart with distinct spatial organization and self-assembly. With proper training in photolithography microfabrication, maintenance of human pluripotent stem cells, and cardiac differentiation, a graduate student with guidance will likely be able to carry out this experimental protocol, which requires ∼3 weeks. We envisage that this in vitro model of human early heart development could serve as an embryotoxicity screening assay in drug discovery, regulation, and prescription for healthy fetal development. We anticipate that, when applied to hiPSC lines derived from patients with inherited diseases, this protocol can be used to study the disease mechanisms of cardiac malformations at an early stage of embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Plansky Hoang
- Department of Biomedical & Chemical Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA.,Syracuse Biomaterials Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Jason Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Bruce R Conklin
- Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, San Francisco, California, USA.,Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.,Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Kevin E Healy
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.,Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA
| | - Zhen Ma
- Department of Biomedical & Chemical Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA.,Syracuse Biomaterials Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
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23
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Abstract
The generation and propagation of the cardiac impulse is the central function of the cardiac conduction system (CCS). Impulse initiation occurs in nodal tissues that have high levels of automaticity, but slow conduction properties. Rapid impulse propagation is a feature of the ventricular conduction system, which is essential for synchronized contraction of the ventricular chambers. When functioning properly, the CCS produces ~2.4 billion heartbeats during a human lifetime and orchestrates the flow of cardiac impulses, designed to maximize cardiac output. Abnormal impulse initiation or propagation can result in brady- and tachy-arrhythmias, producing an array of symptoms, including syncope, heart failure or sudden cardiac death. Underlying the functional diversity of the CCS are gene regulatory networks that direct cell fate towards a nodal or a fast conduction gene program. In this review, we will discuss our current understanding of the transcriptional networks that dictate the components of the CCS, the growth factor-dependent signaling pathways that orchestrate some of these transcriptional hierarchies and the effect of aberrant transcription factor expression on mammalian conduction disease.
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24
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Ma P, Chan DC, Gu S, Watanabe M, Jenkins MW, Rollins AM. Volumetric optical mapping in early embryonic hearts using light-sheet microscopy. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2016; 7:5120-5128. [PMID: 28018729 PMCID: PMC5175556 DOI: 10.1364/boe.7.005120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Revised: 09/28/2016] [Accepted: 10/03/2016] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Optical mapping (OM) of electrical activity using voltage-sensitive fluorescent dyes is a powerful tool for the investigation of embryonic cardiac electrophysiology. However, because conventional OM integrates the signal in depth and projects it to a two-dimensional plane, information acquired is incomplete and dependent upon the orientation of the sample. This complicates interpretation of data, especially when comparing one heart to another. To overcome this limitation, we present volumetric OM using light-sheet microscopy, which enables high-speed capture of optically sectioned slices. Voltage-sensitive fluorescence images from multiple planes across entire early embryonic quail hearts were acquired, and complete, orientation-independent, four-dimensional maps of transmembrane potential are demonstrated. Volumetric OM data were collected while using optical pacing to control the heart rate, paving the way for physiological measurements and precise manipulation of the heartbeat in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei Ma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Modern Optical Systems, College of Optical-Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai, 200093, China
| | - Dennis C. Chan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
| | - Shi Gu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
| | - Michiko Watanabe
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
| | - Michael W. Jenkins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
| | - Andrew M. Rollins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106, USA
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25
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Ma P, Gu S, Karunamuni GH, Jenkins MW, Watanabe M, Rollins AM. Cardiac neural crest ablation results in early endocardial cushion and hemodynamic flow abnormalities. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2016; 311:H1150-H1159. [PMID: 27542407 PMCID: PMC5130492 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00188.2016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Cardiac neural crest cell (CNCC) ablation creates congenital heart defects (CHDs) that resemble those observed in many syndromes with craniofacial and cardiac consequences. The loss of CNCCs causes a variety of great vessel defects, including persistent truncus arteriosus and double-outlet right ventricle. However, because of the lack of quantitative volumetric measurements, less severe defects, such as great vessel size changes and valve defects, have not been assessed. Also poorly understood is the role of abnormal cardiac function in the progression of CNCC-related CHDs. CNCC ablation was previously reported to cause abnormal cardiac function in early cardiogenesis, before the CNCCs arrive in the outflow region of the heart. However, the affected functional parameters and how they correlate with the structural abnormalities were not fully characterized. In this study, using a CNCC-ablated quail model, we contribute quantitative phenotyping of CNCC ablation-related CHDs and investigate abnormal early cardiac function, which potentially contributes to late-stage CHDs. Optical coherence tomography was used to assay early- and late-stage embryos and hearts. In CNCC-ablated embryos at four-chambered heart stages, great vessel diameter and left atrioventricular valve leaflet volumes are reduced. Earlier, at cardiac looping stages, CNCC-ablated embryos exhibit abnormally twisted bodies, abnormal blood flow waveforms, increased retrograde flow percentage, and abnormal cardiac cushions. The phenotypes observed in this CNCC-ablation model were also strikingly similar to those found in an established avian fetal alcohol syndrome model, supporting the contribution of CNCC dysfunction to the development of alcohol-induced CHDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei Ma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; and
| | - Shi Gu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; and
| | - Ganga H Karunamuni
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Michael W Jenkins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; and
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Michiko Watanabe
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Andrew M Rollins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; and
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26
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Vostarek F, Svatunkova J, Sedmera D. Acute temperature effects on function of the chick embryonic heart. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2016; 217:276-86. [PMID: 27083765 DOI: 10.1111/apha.12691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2015] [Revised: 01/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/12/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
AIM We analysed the effects of acute temperature change on the beating rate, conduction properties and calcium transients in the chick embryonic heart in vitro and in ovo. METHODS The effects of temperature change (34, 37 and 40 °C) on calcium dynamics in isolated ED4 chick hearts in vitro were investigated by high-speed calcium optical imaging. For comparison and validation of in vitro measurements, experiments were also performed in ovo using videomicroscopy. Artificial stimulation experiments were performed in vitro and in ovo to uncover conduction limits of heart segments. RESULTS Decrease in temperature from 37 to 34 °C in vitro led to a 22% drop in heart rate and unchanged amplitude of Ca(2+) transients, compared to a 25% heart rate decrease in ovo. Increase in temperature from 37 to 40 °C in vitro and in ovo led to 20 and 23% increases in heart rate, respectively, and a significant decrease in amplitude of Ca(2+) transients (atrium -35%, ventricle -38%). We observed a wide spectrum of arrhythmias in vitro, of which the most common was atrioventricular (AV) block (57%). There was variability of AV block locations. Pacing experiments in vitro and in ovo suggested that the AV blocks were likely caused by relative tissue hypoxia and not by the tachycardia itself. CONCLUSION The pacemaker and AV canal are the most temperature-sensitive segments of the embryonic heart. We suggest that the critical point for conduction is the connection of the ventricular trabecular network to the AV canal.
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Affiliation(s)
- F. Vostarek
- Czech Academy of Sciences; Institute of Physiology; Prague Czech Republic
- Faculty of Science; Charles University; Prague Czech Republic
| | - J. Svatunkova
- Czech Academy of Sciences; Institute of Physiology; Prague Czech Republic
| | - D. Sedmera
- Czech Academy of Sciences; Institute of Physiology; Prague Czech Republic
- First Faculty of Medicine; Institute of Anatomy; Charles University; Prague Czech Republic
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27
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Haack T, Abdelilah-Seyfried S. The force within: endocardial development, mechanotransduction and signalling during cardiac morphogenesis. Development 2016; 143:373-86. [PMID: 26839341 DOI: 10.1242/dev.131425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Endocardial cells are cardiac endothelial cells that line the interior of the heart tube. Historically, their contribution to cardiac development has mainly been considered from a morphological perspective. However, recent studies have begun to define novel instructive roles of the endocardium, as a sensor and signal transducer of biophysical forces induced by blood flow, and as an angiocrine signalling centre that is involved in myocardial cellular morphogenesis, regeneration and reprogramming. In this Review, we discuss how the endocardium develops, how endocardial-myocardial interactions influence the developing embryonic heart, and how the dysregulation of blood flow-responsive endocardial signalling can result in pathophysiological changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timm Haack
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg Straße 1, Hannover D-30625, Germany
| | - Salim Abdelilah-Seyfried
- Institute of Molecular Biology, Hannover Medical School, Carl-Neuberg Straße 1, Hannover D-30625, Germany Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24-25, Potsdam D-14476, Germany
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28
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van Weerd JH, Christoffels VM. The formation and function of the cardiac conduction system. Development 2016; 143:197-210. [PMID: 26786210 DOI: 10.1242/dev.124883] [Citation(s) in RCA: 143] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The cardiac conduction system (CCS) consists of distinctive components that initiate and conduct the electrical impulse required for the coordinated contraction of the cardiac chambers. CCS development involves complex regulatory networks that act in stage-, tissue- and dose-dependent manners, and recent findings indicate that the activity of these networks is sensitive to common genetic variants associated with cardiac arrhythmias. Here, we review how these findings have provided novel insights into the regulatory mechanisms and transcriptional networks underlying CCS formation and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Hendrik van Weerd
- Department of Anatomy, Embryology & Physiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, The Netherlands
| | - Vincent M Christoffels
- Department of Anatomy, Embryology & Physiology, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam 1105 AZ, The Netherlands
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29
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Wittig JG, Münsterberg A. The Early Stages of Heart Development: Insights from Chicken Embryos. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2016; 3:jcdd3020012. [PMID: 29367563 PMCID: PMC5715676 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd3020012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2016] [Revised: 03/28/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The heart is the first functioning organ in the developing embryo and a detailed understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in its formation provides insights into congenital malformations affecting its function and therefore the survival of the organism. Because many developmental mechanisms are highly conserved, it is possible to extrapolate from observations made in invertebrate and vertebrate model organisms to humans. This review will highlight the contributions made through studying heart development in avian embryos, particularly the chicken. The major advantage of chick embryos is their accessibility for surgical manipulation and functional interference approaches, both gain- and loss-of-function. In addition to experiments performed in ovo, the dissection of tissues for ex vivo culture, genomic, or biochemical approaches is straightforward. Furthermore, embryos can be cultured for time-lapse imaging, which enables tracking of fluorescently labeled cells and detailed analysis of tissue morphogenesis. Owing to these features, investigations in chick embryos have led to important discoveries, often complementing genetic studies in mice and zebrafish. As well as including some historical aspects, we cover here some of the crucial advances made in understanding early heart development using the chicken model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes G Wittig
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.
| | - Andrea Münsterberg
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, UK.
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30
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Watanabe M, Rollins AM, Polo-Parada L, Ma P, Gu S, Jenkins MW. Probing the Electrophysiology of the Developing Heart. J Cardiovasc Dev Dis 2016; 3:jcdd3010010. [PMID: 29367561 PMCID: PMC5715694 DOI: 10.3390/jcdd3010010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2016] [Revised: 03/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Many diseases that result in dysfunction and dysmorphology of the heart originate in the embryo. However, the embryonic heart presents a challenging subject for study: especially challenging is its electrophysiology. Electrophysiological maturation of the embryonic heart without disturbing its physiological function requires the creation and deployment of novel technologies along with the use of classical techniques on a range of animal models. Each tool has its strengths and limitations and has contributed to making key discoveries to expand our understanding of cardiac development. Further progress in understanding the mechanisms that regulate the normal and abnormal development of the electrophysiology of the heart requires integration of this functional information with the more extensively elucidated structural and molecular changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michiko Watanabe
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
- Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
| | - Andrew M Rollins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
| | - Luis Polo-Parada
- Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA.
- Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65201, USA.
| | - Pei Ma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
| | - Shi Gu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
| | - Michael W Jenkins
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
- Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
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31
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Gu S, Wang YT, Ma P, Werdich AA, Rollins AM, Jenkins MW. Mapping conduction velocity of early embryonic hearts with a robust fitting algorithm. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2015; 6:2138-57. [PMID: 26114034 PMCID: PMC4473749 DOI: 10.1364/boe.6.002138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2015] [Revised: 04/27/2015] [Accepted: 04/27/2015] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Cardiac conduction maturation is an important and integral component of heart development. Optical mapping with voltage-sensitive dyes allows sensitive measurements of electrophysiological signals over the entire heart. However, accurate measurements of conduction velocity during early cardiac development is typically hindered by low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measurements of action potentials. Here, we present a novel image processing approach based on least squares optimizations, which enables high-resolution, low-noise conduction velocity mapping of smaller tubular hearts. First, the action potential trace measured at each pixel is fit to a curve consisting of two cumulative normal distribution functions. Then, the activation time at each pixel is determined based on the fit, and the spatial gradient of activation time is determined with a two-dimensional (2D) linear fit over a square-shaped window. The size of the window is adaptively enlarged until the gradients can be determined within a preset precision. Finally, the conduction velocity is calculated based on the activation time gradient, and further corrected for three-dimensional (3D) geometry that can be obtained by optical coherence tomography (OCT). We validated the approach using published activation potential traces based on computer simulations. We further validated the method by adding artificially generated noise to the signal to simulate various SNR conditions using a curved simulated image (digital phantom) that resembles a tubular heart. This method proved to be robust, even at very low SNR conditions (SNR = 2-5). We also established an empirical equation to estimate the maximum conduction velocity that can be accurately measured under different conditions (e.g. sampling rate, SNR, and pixel size). Finally, we demonstrated high-resolution conduction velocity maps of the quail embryonic heart at a looping stage of development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi Gu
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Yves T Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
| | - Pei Ma
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Andreas A Werdich
- Cardiovascular Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Andrew M Rollins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
| | - Michael W Jenkins
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 44016, USA
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32
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Boselli F, Freund JB, Vermot J. Blood flow mechanics in cardiovascular development. Cell Mol Life Sci 2015; 72:2545-59. [PMID: 25801176 PMCID: PMC4457920 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-015-1885-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2014] [Revised: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/12/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Hemodynamic forces are fundamental to development. Indeed, much of cardiovascular morphogenesis reflects a two-way interaction between mechanical forces and the gene network activated in endothelial cells via mechanotransduction feedback loops. As these interactions are becoming better understood in different model organisms, it is possible to identify common mechanogenetic rules, which are strikingly conserved and shared in many tissues and species. Here, we discuss recent findings showing how hemodynamic forces potentially modulate cardiovascular development as well as the underlying fluid and tissue mechanics, with special attention given to the flow characteristics that are unique to the small scales of embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Boselli
- Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Illkirch, France,
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33
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Abstract
The heart is the first organ to form during embryonic development. Given the complex nature of cardiac differentiation and morphogenesis, it is not surprising that some form of congenital heart disease is present in ≈1 percent of newborns. The molecular determinants of heart development have received much attention over the past several decades. This has been driven in large part by an interest in understanding the causes of congenital heart disease coupled with the potential of using knowledge from developmental biology to generate functional cells and tissues that could be used for regenerative medicine purposes. In this review, we highlight the critical signaling pathways and transcription factor networks that regulate cardiomyocyte lineage specification in both in vivo and in vitro models. Special focus will be given to epigenetic regulators that drive the commitment of cardiomyogenic cells from nascent mesoderm and their differentiation into chamber-specific myocytes, as well as regulation of myocardial trabeculation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon L Paige
- From the Division of Pediatric Cardiology and Department of Pediatrics (S.L.P., S.M.W.), Cardiovascular Institute (K.P., A.X., S.M.W.), Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Regenerative Medicine, Child Health Research Institute (S.M.W.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
| | - Karolina Plonowska
- From the Division of Pediatric Cardiology and Department of Pediatrics (S.L.P., S.M.W.), Cardiovascular Institute (K.P., A.X., S.M.W.), Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Regenerative Medicine, Child Health Research Institute (S.M.W.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
| | - Adele Xu
- From the Division of Pediatric Cardiology and Department of Pediatrics (S.L.P., S.M.W.), Cardiovascular Institute (K.P., A.X., S.M.W.), Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Regenerative Medicine, Child Health Research Institute (S.M.W.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA
| | - Sean M Wu
- From the Division of Pediatric Cardiology and Department of Pediatrics (S.L.P., S.M.W.), Cardiovascular Institute (K.P., A.X., S.M.W.), Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine Regenerative Medicine, Child Health Research Institute (S.M.W.), Stanford University School of Medicine, CA.
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34
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Hemodynamic forces regulate developmental patterning of atrial conduction. PLoS One 2014; 9:e115207. [PMID: 25503944 PMCID: PMC4264946 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0115207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2014] [Accepted: 11/19/2014] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Anomalous action potential conduction through the atrial chambers of the heart can lead to severe cardiac arrhythmia. To date, however, little is known regarding the mechanisms that pattern proper atrial conduction during development. Here we demonstrate that atrial muscle functionally diversifies into at least two heterogeneous subtypes, thin-walled myocardium and rapidly conducting muscle bundles, during a developmental window just following cardiac looping. During this process, atrial muscle bundles become enriched for the fast conduction markers Cx40 and Nav1.5, similar to the precursors of the fast conduction Purkinje fiber network located within the trabeculae of the ventricles. In contrast to the ventricular trabeculae, however, atrial muscle bundles display an increased proliferation rate when compared to the surrounding myocardium. Interestingly, mechanical loading of the embryonic atrial muscle resulted in an induction of Cx40, Nav1.5 and the cell cycle marker Cyclin D1, while decreasing atrial pressure via in vivo ligation of the vitelline blood vessels results in decreased atrial conduction velocity. Taken together, these data establish a novel model for atrial conduction patterning, whereby hemodynamic stretch coordinately induces proliferation and fast conduction marker expression, which in turn promotes the formation of large diameter muscle bundles to serve as preferential routes of conduction.
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