Use of the transgenic mouse in models of AIDS cardiomyopathy

Heart disease in AIDS, particularly cardiomyopathy (CM), is an increasingly recognized clinical problem with as yet undefined pathogenetic mechanisms. Among the potential etiologies of AIDS CM are HIV-1 infection of cardiac myocytes and subsequent cardiac dysfunction, opportunistic infection, inflammatory reactions, cytokine effects, and cardiotoxicity of prescribed or illicit drugs. It seems probable that multiple factors may impact on the development of CM in AIDS. Transgenic mice (TG) are useful biological tools to explore mechanisms of cardiac function and disease. In AIDS models, TG offer novel ways to elucidate mechanisms of AIDS CM through combined in vivo and in vitro studies. With targeted and non-targeted TG, structural and functional effects of specific HIV-1 gene products on heart tissue may be addressed. The impact of environmental agents including therapeutics or cardiotoxins may also be defined. To address the complexity of AIDS CM using TG, an experimental approach has been employed in our laboratories to model the clinical condition. We utilize AIDS TG with generalized expression of HIV-1 gene products in CM models with combined antiretroviral regimens to define the cardiovascular effects of AIDS and its therapy on the structure and function of the murine heart. We are developing a series of cardiac specific TG bearing selected HIV-1 genes. These TG target the selected HIV-1 genes expressed in cardiac ventricular myocytes. Tissue-specific targeting of this type enables us to define structural and functional effects of specific HIV-1 gene products on the cardiac myocyte.     

Cardiac myosin missense mutations cause dilated cardiomyopathy in mouse models and depress molecular motor function

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) leads to heart failure, a leading cause of death in industrialized nations. Approximately 30% of DCM cases are genetic in origin, with some resulting from point mutations in cardiac myosin, the molecular motor of the heart. The effects of these mutations on myosin's molecular mechanics have not been determined. We have engineered two murine models characterizing the physiological, cellular, and molecular effects of DCM-causing missense mutations (S532P and F764L) in the alpha-cardiac myosin heavy chain and compared them with WT mice. Mutant mice developed morphological and functional characteristics of DCM consistent with the human phenotypes. Contractile function of isolated myocytes was depressed and preceded left ventricular dilation and reduced fractional shortening. In an in vitro motility assay, both mutant cardiac myosins exhibited a reduced ability to translocate actin (V(actin)) but had similar force-generating capacities. Actin-activated ATPase activities were also reduced. Single-molecule laser trap experiments revealed that the lower V(actin) in the S532P mutant was due to a reduced ability of the motor to generate a step displacement and an alteration of the kinetics of its chemomechanical cycle. These results suggest that the depressed molecular function in cardiac myosin may initiate the events that cause the heart to remodel and become pathologically dilated.     

Animal models of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC) is an autosomal-dominant disease that is both clinically and genetically heterogeneous. Disease-causing mutations have been found in eight genes encoding structural components of the thick and thin filament systems of the cardiac myocyte; it has therefore been coined a disease of the sarcomere. How each mutation leads to the diverse clinical phenotypes is still obscure, and research in this area is very active. Many approaches have been used to characterize the pathogenesis of the disease. Biochemical characterization of mutant alleles expressed in vitro has shed some insight into the functional deficits of several mutant alleles of myosin heavy chain, troponin-T, and alpha-tropomyosin. Transgenic animal models for FHC have been created to gain further insight into the pathogenesis of this disease. Most of these models have been made in mice; however, recently a transgenic rabbit model has been created. In addition, there are several natural-occurring forms of FHC in animals that will be interesting to explore. The discovery of additional responsible genes and the elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of pathogenesis through the use of animal models promise improved and early diagnosis and the potential for developing specific, mutation-, or mechanism-based therapeutics.     

不同方法建立卡氏肺孢子虫大、小鼠动物模型的比较

目的筛选简便、有效并稳定的肺孢子虫造模方法。方法 SD大鼠和昆明小鼠分别采用皮下注射、灌胃和饮水中加地塞米松三种方法造模,观察感染动物体质状态,计算肺孢子虫包囊感染率和死亡率等。结果 SD大鼠皮下注射和灌胃法造模肺孢子虫感染率分别为75.0%和66.7%;在SD大鼠饮水中加入地塞米松及对昆明小鼠实施造模,感染率低。结论 SD大鼠灌胃和皮下注射地塞米松方法可以建立相对稳定的肺孢子虫动物模型。     

Common genomic variation in LMNA modulates indexes of obesity in Inuit

We discovered that rare mutations in LMNA, which encodes lamins A and C, underlie autosomal dominant Dunnigan-type familial partial lipodystrophy. Because familial partial lipodystrophy is an extreme example of genetically disturbed adipocyte differentiation, it is possible that common variation in LMNA is associated with obesity-related phenotypes. We subsequently discovered a common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in LMNA, namely 1908C/T, which was associated with obesity-related traits in Canadian Oji-Cree. We now report association of this LMNA SNP with anthropometric indexes in 186 nondiabetic Canadian Inuit. We found that physical indexes of obesity, such as body mass index, waist circumference, waist to hip circumference ratio, subscapular skinfold thickness, and subscapular to triceps skinfold thickness ratio were each significantly higher among Inuit subjects with the LMNA 1908T allele than in subjects with the 1908C/1908C genotype. For each significantly associated obesity-related trait, the LMNA 1908C/T SNP genotype accounted for between approximately 10--100% of the attributable variation. The results indicate that common genetic variation in LMNA is an important determinant of obesity-related quantitative traits.     

The exercise response in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy

In order to more clearly define the exercise response of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy (IDC), 20 patients in this study with strictly defined IDC were evaluated with radionuclide ventriculography and invasive hemodynamic monitoring. Severe cardiovascular impairment was present at rest, and peak supine exercise produced progressive left ventricular (LV) dilatation in both diastole and systole (mean±SEM from 172±14 to 212±22 ml/m² at end-diastole and from 137± 14 to 170±22 ml/m² at end-systole; both p<0.03). There were marked increases in LV and right ventricular filling pressure (from 17±2 to 36±3 mmHg and from 7±2 to 15±2 mmHg, respectively; both p<0.0001) and increased pulmonary artery pressure. Mean LV ejection fraction did not change significantly with exercise (22±2 to 23±3%; p>0.8), but individual patients demonstrated substantial variability. Cardiac output rose less than in normals and increases were brought about primarily by subnormal heart rate increases. High resting and exercise systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance were indicative of limited vasodilator reserve. Despite marked hemodynamic abnormalities, 10 of the 20 subjects had well preserved exercise capacity (≥ 12 min exercise duration). These patients as a group had significantly lower resting heart rate and higher exercise cardiac output and lower exercise systemic vascular resistance. However, they did not differ from the other patients with respect to resting LV function. Thus, the exercise response in IDC has specific characteristics that distinguish it from normal and from the exercise response of other causes of LV dysfunction. An interesting subset of patients with IDC has well preserved exercise capacity associated with greater chronotropic and vasodilator reserve. This finding suggests less sympathetic activation in these subjects.     

不同感染途径建立的结核分枝杆菌急性肺感染小鼠模型的比较

目的 比较3种不同感染途径建立的结核分枝杆菌急性肺感染小鼠动物模型,为结核病研究中动物模型的建立、选择与实际应用提供实验依据.方法 将结核分枝杆菌标准株H37Rv稀释至1×106菌落形成单位(cfu)/mL,分别采用尾静脉注射、滴鼻、气雾攻击方式感染小鼠,感染后6周,观察肺组织病变情况、菌落计数,肺组织行HE染色、抗酸染色,免疫组织化学检测肺组织TNF-α单位面积表达量.数据行t检验.结果 气雾攻击组、滴鼻组和尾静脉组小鼠肺部结核分枝杆菌数分别为(6.290±0.028)、(6.150±0.021)和(6.120±0.008) lg cfu/mL,对照组肺部无结核分枝杆菌;各感染组与对照组比较,差异均有统计学意义(t=3.762,P＜0.01),但不同感染途径感染组间差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).各感染组小鼠肺组织均有病理学改变,抗酸染色阳性.单位面积TNF-α表达量在尾静脉注射组、滴鼻组和气雾攻击组分别为0.049×106、0.759×106和1.042×106,差异有统计学意义(t=2.504,P＜0.05).结论 气雾攻击感染方式建立的小鼠急性肺结核病模型较尾静脉注射和滴鼻方式更为有效.     

Comparison of insulin secretory function in two mouse models with different susceptibility to beta-cell failure

Type 2 diabetes is characterized by a susceptibility to beta-cell failure. However, subjects at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, such as those with obesity or a family history of diabetes, have been shown to display hyperinsulinemia. Although this hyperinsulinemia may be an adaptive response to insulin resistance, the possibility that insulin hypersecretion may be a primary defect has not been thoroughly investigated. The DBA/2 mouse is a model of pancreatic islet susceptibility. Unlike the resistant C57BL/6 mouse strain, the DBA/2 mouse islet fails when stressed with insulin resistance or when exposed to chronic high glucose concentrations. The aim of this study was to compare insulin secretory function in the DBA/2 and C57BL/6 strains in the absence of insulin resistance or high glucose. Insulin secretion was assessed in vivo using the iv glucose tolerance test and in vitro using isolated islets in static incubations. It was shown that DBA/2 mice hypersecreted insulin in vivo, compared with C57BL/6 mice, at 1 d and at 4 and 10 wk of age. This hypersecretion was not attributable to insulin resistance (as assessed by the insulin tolerance test) or increased parasympathetic nervous system outflow. Insulin hypersecretion was also demonstrated in vitro. This was associated with higher glycolysis and glucose oxidation, and elevated activity (but not protein levels) of islet glucokinase and hexokinase. Furthermore, GLUT2 protein levels were higher, which may explain an increase in glucokinase activity in DBA/2 mouse islets. In summary, the DBA/2 mouse, a model of islet failure, has increased glucose-mediated insulin secretion from a very early age, which is associated with an increase in glucose utilization. Further studies will determine whether there is a link between insulin hypersecretion and subsequent beta-cell failure.     

Experimental models of inherited cardiomyopathy and its therapeutics

Cardiomyopathy is a disease of myocardium categorized into three major forms, hypertrophic (HCM), dilated (DCM) and restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM), which has recently been demonstrated to be a monogenic disease due to mutations in various proteins expressed in cardiomyocytes. Mutations in HCM and RCM typically increase the myofilament sensitivity to cytoplasmic Ca²⁺, leading to systolic hyperfunction and diastolic dysfunction. In contrast, mutations in DCM typically decrease the myofilament sensitivity to cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ and/or force generation/transmission, leading to systolic dysfunction. Creation of genetically-manipulated transgenic and knock-in animals expressing mutant proteins exogenously and endogenously, respectively, in their hearts provides valuable animal models to discover the molecular and cellular mechanisms for pathogenesis and promising therapeutic strategy in vivo. Recently, cardiomyocytes have been differentiated from patient’s induced pluripotent stem cells as a model of inherited cardiomyopathies in vitro. In this review, we provide overview of experimental models of cardiomyopathies with a focus on revealed molecular and cellular pathogenic mechanisms and potential therapeutics.     

Cardiac genomic response following preconditioning stimulus

This review focuses on the genomic response following a preconditioning stimulus. Initial studies demonstrated that classical ischemic preconditioning mediated by cyclic episodes of short durations of reversible ischemia and reperfusion could result in the reprogramming of gene expression. Some of these genes are translated into proteins during the late preconditioning or so-called "second window of protection". Subsequent studies determined a unique similarity of the expressed gene profiles between diverse varieties of preconditioning including ischemic/hypoxic, heat shock, and oxidative stress. The most common genes that are expressed by virtually any kind of stress conditioning include antioxidants like superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and heme oxygenase and heat shock proteins such as HSP70. At a later date, differential display and subtractive hybridization techniques revealed the identities of many other genes including those belonging to mitochondrial respiratory chain such as ATPases. More recently, gene array profiles using gene chips determined several other genes triggered by preconditioning including the mitochondrial genes. The results of the studies present in the literature clearly indicate the existence of a strong resemblance between the patterns of gene expression profiles induced by diverse preconditioning stimuli, oxidative stress being situated at the cross-roads of all forms of the stresses. Redox signaling appears to be responsible for the conversion of the ischemia/reperfusion-induced "death signal" into preconditioning-mediated "survival signal".     

Increased cardiovascular response to epinephrine in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

To study the role of catecholamines in the pathogenesis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), hemodynamic responses to low and high dose infusions of epinephrine (0.037 and 0.074 micrograms/Kg/min) were compared between 21 patients with nonobstructive HCM and 21 healthy controls, matched for age and sex. During low dose infusion, patients with HCM showed significantly greater responses (p less than 0.05) than controls in echocardiographic left ventricular (LV) end-systolic dimension (-8 +/- 1% vs -4 +/- 1%, mean +/- SEM), fractional shortening (12 +/- 2% vs 7 +/- 1%) and peak systolic velocity of the LV posterior wall (32 +/- 5% vs 15 +/- 4%), but the differences disappeared during high dose infusion. Thus, patients with HCM started to respond to epinephrine earlier than controls and seemed to have an increased sensitivity of beta-adrenergic receptors in the cardiovascular system. As the augmented responses were more evident in younger patients (less than 35 years) who manifested frequent familial occurrences of HCM, the increased sensitivity to catecholamine was postulated to be genetically determined and to be related to the abnormal myocardial hypertrophy of HCM.     

Models of dilated cardiomyopathy in the mouse and the hamster

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a heart muscle disorder characterized by atrial and ventricular dilation often with relative wall thinning, severe systolic and diastolic ventricular dysfunction, and frequent findings of heart failure. Using genetically engineered mice, a number of studies have attempted to determine the role of specific genes, as well as to mimic the phenotype of human DCM. Naturally occurring and acquired animal models of DCM also have been investigated. In this brief review, we will focus on small animal models of DCM, particularly those in the mouse, together with some comments on the autosomal-recessive cardiomyopathy of the hamster. These animal models can be categorized into several general groups in accordance with the presumed role of the gene mutation involved, including intrasarcomeric and extrasarcomeric cytoskeletal abnormalities, which resemble some forms of hereditary human DCM, and overexpression or disruption of genes that control molecules participating in intracellular signaling pathways, including the beta-adrenergic system and calcium regulation. Modifications in the latter two pathways can cause or alleviate DCM in animal models, suggesting their importance in myocyte adaptive and survival mechanisms.     

Female genomic response to mate information

Females should be choosier than males about prospective mates because of the high costs of inappropriate mating decisions. Both theoretical and empirical studies have identified factors likely to influence female mate choices. However, male-male social interactions also can affect mating decisions, because information about a potential mate can trigger changes in female reproductive physiology. We asked how social information about a preferred male influenced neural activity in females, using immediate early gene (IEG) expression as a proxy for brain activity. A gravid female cichlid fish (Astatotilapia burtoni) chose between two socially equivalent males and then saw fights between these two males in which her preferred male either won or lost. We measured IEG expression levels in several brain nuclei including those in the vertebrate social behavior network (SBN), a collection of brain nuclei known to be important in social behavior. When the female saw her preferred male win a fight, SBN nuclei associated with reproduction were activated, but when she saw her preferred male lose a fight, the lateral septum, a nucleus associated with anxiety, was activated instead. Thus social information alone, independent of actual social interactions, activates specific brain regions that differ significantly depending on what the female sees. In female brains, reproductive centers are activated when she chooses a winner, and anxiety-like response centers are activated when she chooses a loser. These experiments assessing the role of mate-choice information on the brain using a paradigm of successive presentations of mate information suggest ways to understand the consequences of social information on animals using IEG expression.     

Autophagy is an adaptive response in desmin-related cardiomyopathy

A missense mutation in the alphaB-crystallin (CryAB) gene triggers a severe form of desmin-related cardiomyopathy (DRCM) characterized by accumulation of misfolded proteins. We hypothesized that autophagy increases in response to protein aggregates and that this autophagic activity is adaptive. Mutant CryAB (CryAB(R120G)) triggered a >2-fold increase in cardiomyocyte autophagic activity, and blunting autophagy increased the rate of aggregate accumulation and the abundance of insoluble CryAB(R120G)-associated aggregates. Cardiomyocyte-restricted overexpression of CryAB(R120G) in mice induced intracellular aggregate accumulation and systolic heart failure by 12 months. As early as 2 months (well before the earliest declines in cardiac function), we detected robust autophagic activity. To test the functional significance of autophagic activation, we crossed CryAB(R120G) mice with animals harboring heterozygous inactivation of beclin 1, a gene required for autophagy. Blunting autophagy in vivo dramatically hastened heart failure progression with a 3-fold increase in interstitial fibrosis, greater accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins, larger and more extensive intracellular aggregates, accelerated ventricular dysfunction, and early mortality. This study reports activation of autophagy in DRCM. Further, our findings point to autophagy as an adaptive response in this proteotoxic form of heart disease.     

Interspecific introgressive origin of genomic diversity in the house mouse

We report on a genome-wide scan for introgression between the house mouse (Mus musculus domesticus) and the Algerian mouse (Mus spretus), using samples from the ranges of sympatry and allopatry in Africa and Europe. Our analysis reveals wide variability in introgression signatures along the genomes, as well as across the samples. We find that fewer than half of the autosomes in each genome harbor all detectable introgression, whereas the X chromosome has none. Further, European mice carry more M. spretus alleles than the sympatric African ones. Using the length distribution and sharing patterns of introgressed genomic tracts across the samples, we infer, first, that at least three distinct hybridization events involving M. spretus have occurred, one of which is ancient, and the other two are recent (one presumably due to warfarin rodenticide selection). Second, several of the inferred introgressed tracts contain genes that are likely to confer adaptive advantage. Third, introgressed tracts might contain driver genes that determine the evolutionary fate of those tracts. Further, functional analysis revealed introgressed genes that are essential to fitness, including the Vkorc1 gene, which is implicated in rodenticide resistance, and olfactory receptor genes. Our findings highlight the extent and role of introgression in nature and call for careful analysis and interpretation of house mouse data in evolutionary and genetic studies.Classical laboratory mouse strains, as well as newly established wild-derived ones, are widely used by geneticists for answering a diverse array of questions (1). Understanding the genome contents and architecture of these strains is important for studies of natural variation and complex traits, as well as evolutionary studies in general (2). Mus spretus, a sister species of Mus musculus, impacts the findings in M. musculus investigations for at least two reasons. First, it was deliberately interbred with laboratory M. musculus strains to introduce genetic variation (3). Second, Mus musculus domesticus is partially sympatric (naturally cooccurring) with M. spretus (Fig. 1).Open in a separate windowFig. 1.Species ranges and samples used in our study. The species range of M. spretus is shown in green (4), and the species range of M. m. domesticus includes the blue regions, the range of M. spretus, and beyond (1). M. m. domesticus and M. spretus samples were obtained from locations marked with red circles and purple diamonds, respectively. The samples originated from within and outside the area of sympatry between the two species. (SI Appendix, Table S1, provides additional details about the samples used in our study.)Recent studies have examined admixture between subspecies of house mice (5–8), but have not studied introgression with M. spretus. In at least one case (5), the introgressive descent of the mouse genome was hidden due to data postprocessing that masked introgressed genomic regions as missing data. In another study reporting whole-genome sequencing of 17 classical laboratory strains (6), M. spretus was used as an outgroup for phylogenetic analysis. The authors were surprised to find that 12.1% of loci failed to place M. spretus as an outgroup to the M. musculus clade. The authors concluded that M. spretus was not a reliable outgroup but did not pursue their observation further. On the other hand, in a 2002 study (9), Orth et al. compiled data on allozyme, microsatellite, and mitochondrial variation in house mice from Spain (sympatry) and nearby countries in western and central Europe. Interestingly, allele sharing between the species was observed in the range of sympatry but not outside in the range of allopatry. The studies demonstrated the possibility of natural hybridization between these two sister species. Further, the study of Song et al. (10) demonstrated a recent adaptive introgression from M. spretus into some M. m. domesticus populations in the wild, involving the vitamin K epoxide reductase subcomponent 1 (Vkorc1) gene, which was later shown to be more widespread in Europe, albeit geographically restricted to parts of southwestern and central Europe (11).Major, unanswered questions arise from these studies. First, is the vicinity around the Vkorc1 gene an isolated case of adaptive introgression in the house mouse genome, or do many other such regions exist? Second, is introgression between M. spretus and M. m. domesticus common outside the range of sympatry? Third, have there been other hybridization events, and, in particular, more ancient ones? Fourth, what role do introgressed genes, and, more generally, genomic regions, play?To investigate these open questions, we used genome-wide variation data from 20 M. m. domesticus samples (wild and wild-derived) from the ranges of sympatry and allopatry, as well as two M. spretus samples. For detecting introgression, we used PhyloNet-HMM (12), a newly developed method for statistical inference of introgression in genomes while accounting for other evolutionary processes, most notably incomplete lineage sorting (ILS).Our analysis provides answers to the questions posed above. First, we find signatures of introgression between M. spretus and each of the M. m. domesticus samples. The amount of introgression varies across the autosomes of each genome, with a few chromosomes harboring all detectable introgression, and most of the chromosomes have none. We detected no introgression on the X chromosome. Further, the amount of introgression varied widely across the samples. Our analyses demonstrate introgression outside the range of sympatry. In fact, our results show more signatures of introgression in the genomes of allopatric samples from Europe than in sympatric samples from Africa. For the third question, we used the length distribution and sharing patterns of introgressed regions across the samples to show support for at least three hybridization events: an ancient hybridization event that predates the colonization of Europe by M. m. domesticus and two more recent events, one of which presumably occurred about 50 y ago and is related to warfarin resistance selection (10). For the fourth question, our functional analysis of the introgressed genes shows enrichment for certain categories, most notably olfaction—an essential trait for the fitness of rodents. Understanding the genomic architecture and evolutionary history of the house mouse has broad implications on various aspects of evolutionary, genetic, and biomedical research endeavors that use this model organism. The PhyloNet-HMM method (12) can be used to detect introgression in other eukaryotic species, further broadening the impact of this work.