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Landi S, Giannetti F, Benzoni P, Campostrini G, Rossi G, Piantoni C, Bertoli G, Bonfanti C, Carnevali L, Bucchi A, Baruscotti M, Careccia G, Messina G, Barbuti A. Lack of the transcription factor Nfix causes tachycardia in mice sinus node and rats neonatal cardiomyocytes. Acta Physiol (Oxf) 2023; 239:e13981. [PMID: 37186371 DOI: 10.1111/apha.13981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
AIMS Nfix is a transcription factor belonging to the Nuclear Factor I (NFI) family comprising four members (Nfia, b, c, x). Nfix plays important roles in the development and function of several organs. In muscle development, Nfix controls the switch from embryonic to fetal myogenesis by promoting fast twitching fibres. In the adult muscle, following injury, lack of Nfix impairs regeneration, inducing higher content of slow-twitching fibres. Nfix is expressed also in the heart, but its function has been never investigated before. We studied Nfix role in this organ. METHODS Using Nfix-null and wild type (WT) mice we analyzed: (1) the expression pattern of Nfix during development by qPCR and (2) the functional alterations caused by its absence, by in vivo telemetry and in vitro patch clamp analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Nfix expression start in the heart from E12.5. Adult hearts of Nfix-null mice show a hearts morphology and sarcomeric proteins expression similar to WT. However, Nfix-null animals show tachycardia that derives form an intrinsic higher beating rate of the sinus node (SAN). Molecular and functional analysis revealed that sinoatrial cells of Nfix-null mice express a significantly larger L-type calcium current (Cacna1d + Cacna1c). Interestingly, downregulation of Nfix by sh-RNA in primary cultures of neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes induced a similar increase in their spontaneous beating rate and in ICaL current. In conclusion, our data provide the first demonstration of a role of Nfix that, increasing the L-type calcium current, modulates heart rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Landi
- The Cell Physiology MiLab, Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Giannetti
- The Cell Physiology MiLab, Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Patrizia Benzoni
- The Cell Physiology MiLab, Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulia Campostrini
- The Cell Physiology MiLab, Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giuliana Rossi
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Piantoni
- The Cell Physiology MiLab, Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgia Bertoli
- The Cell Physiology MiLab, Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Bonfanti
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Luca Carnevali
- The Cell Physiology MiLab, Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Annalisa Bucchi
- The Cell Physiology MiLab, Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Mirko Baruscotti
- The Cell Physiology MiLab, Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Giorgia Careccia
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Graziella Messina
- Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrea Barbuti
- The Cell Physiology MiLab, Department of Biosciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
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