Evidence for the expression of neonatal skeletal myosin heavy chain in primary myocardium and cardiac conduction tissue in the developing chick heart.

We isolated a neonatal skeletal myosin heavy chain (MHC) cDNA clone, CV11E1, from a cDNA library of embryonic chick ventricle. At early cardiogenesis, diffuse expression of neonatal skeletal MHC mRNA was first detected in the heart tube at stage 10. During subsequent embryonic stages, the expression of the mRNA in the atrium was upregulated until shortly after birth. It then diminished, dramatically, and disappeared in the adult. On the other hand, in the ventricle, only a trace of the expression was detected throughout embryonic life and in the adult. However, transient expression of mRNA in the ventricle was observed, post-hatching. At the protein level, during the embryonic stage, the atrial myocardium was stained diffusely with monoclonal antibody 2E9, specific for chick neonatal skeletal MHC, whereas the ventricles showed weak reactivity with 2E9. At the late embryonic and newly hatched stages, 2E9-positive cells were located clearly in the subendocardial layer, and around the blood vessels of the atrial and ventricular myocardium. These results provide the first evidence that the neonatal skeletal MHC gene is expressed in developing chick hearts. This MHC appears during early cardiogenesis and is then localized in cardiac conduction cells. Dev Dyn 2000;217:37-49.     

钙调神经磷酸酶在cTnI基因Asp128Tyr突变致心肌肥大中的作用*

 目的：探讨钙调神经磷酸酶（CaN）在心肌钙蛋白I（cTnI）基因第128位天冬氨酸→酪氨酸（Asp128Tyr）突变致心肌肥大中的作用。方法：乳鼠心肌细胞,以心钠素（ANF）、脑钠肽(BNP) mRNA表达作为心肌肥大指标,观察含cTnI Asp128Tyr突变基因的腺病毒转染对心肌细胞的作用,并观察CaN抑制剂环孢菌素A（CsA）或FK506对突变基因转染的影响。Real-time PCR检测ANF、BNP和CaN mRNA表达变化, 同时行CaN活性测定。结果：转染含cTnI Asp128Tyr突变基因腺病毒的心肌细胞增大,胞内ANF和BNP 的mRNA表达较空白对照组、不含任何目的基因的阴性对照腺病毒转染组和转染含野生型cTnI基因的腺病毒组增高（P<0.05）。与含野生型cTnI基因的腺病毒组相比,转染含cTnI Asp128Tyr突变基因的腺病毒组在ANF和BNP mRNA表达升高的同时存在CaN活性升高和CaN mRNA表达上调（P<0.05）。转染含cTnI Asp128Tyr突变基因的腺病毒并用CsA或FK506干预后,心肌细胞缩小,胞内ANF和BNP mRNA表达量较单纯转染含cTnI Asp128Tyr突变基因的腺病毒组降低（P<0.05）,同时心肌细胞内CaN活性显著下降（P<0.05）,CaN mRNA表达下调（P<0.05）。结论：cTnI Asp128Tyr突变可引起心肌细胞肥大;CaN信号通路参与了cTnI Asp128Tyr突变致心肌肥大过程的调控。     

ANF in experimental congestive heart failure.

The plasma and cardiac levels of immunoreactive (IR) atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) were measured during the entire lifespan of cardiomyopathic hamsters, which eventually develop spontaneous congestive heart failure, and were correlated with immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and immunocytochemical changes in the secretory apparatus of atrial and ventricular cardiocytes. Plasma IR-ANF rose in the early stages of the disease, reached a maximum in moderate heart failure, and declined thereafter but remained above control values. The peptide decreased constantly in the atria during the evolution of the disease but increased markedly in the ventricles. Its highest levels were found in the inner half of the left ventricle. In atrial cardiocytes, the size and complexity of the Golgi complex increased with the progression of the disease, whereas the number, size, and IR-ANF content (as assessed by the immunogold technique) of secretory granules decreased constantly. In ventricular cardiocytes, the size of the Golgi complex increased, and typical secretory granules were present in approximately 20% of these cells, regardless of their localization in the myocardium. The results suggest that stimulation of ANF secretion in atrial cardiocytes leads to a dissociation between synthesis and release, the latter being maximal according to ultrastructural and immunocytochemical criteria. In ventricular cardiocytes, the same stimulation culminates in increased synthesis and the possibility of release via two pathways: one constitutive, the other regulated. Thus, the elevated plasma levels of IR-ANF in congestive heart failure may be derived from secretion by both atrial and ventricular cardiocytes.     

Collagen remodeling after myocardial infarction in the rat heart.

In this study changes in the amount and distribution of types I and III collagen mRNA and protein were investigated in the rat heart after induction of a left ventricular myocardial infarction (MI). Sham operated rats served as controls. The animals were sacrificed at different time intervals after operation. Northern blotting of cardiac RNA and hybridization with cDNA probes for types I and III procollagen revealed a 5- to 15-fold increase in the infarcted left ventricle. Type III procollagen mRNA levels were already increased at day 2 after MI, whereas type I procollagen mRNA followed this response at day 4 after MI. This increase was sustained for at least 21 days in the infarcted left ventricle for type III procollagen mRNA, whereas type 1 procollagen mRNA levels were still elevated at 90 days after MI. In the noninfarcted right ventricle a 5- to 7-fold increase was observed for both type I and type III procollagen mRNA levels, but only at day 4 after MI. In the non-infarcted septum a transient increase was observed for type I procollagen mRNA from day 7-21 (4- to 5-fold increase) and a decline to sham levels thereafter. In the septum type III procollagen mRNA levels were only elevated at 7 days after MI (4- to 5-fold increase) compared with sham operated controls. In situ hybridization with the same types I and III procollagen probes showed procollagen mRNA-producing cells in the infarcted area around necrotic cardiomyocytes, and in the interstitial cells in the non-infarcted part of the myocardium. No labeling was detected above cardiomyocytes. Combined in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry showed that the collagen mRNA producing cells have a myofibroblast-like phenotype in the infarcted myocardium and are fibroblasts in the noninfarcted septum and right ventricle. The increase in types I and III procollagen mRNA in both infarcted and non-infarcted myocardium was followed by an increased collagen deposition, measured by computerized morphometry on sirius red-stained tissue sections as well as by the hydroxyproline assay. In the non-infarcted septum and right ventricle the collagen-positive area was maximal at day 14 (3- to 5-fold increase compared with sham operated controls) and slightly declined at day 21. In the infarcted myocardium the collagen-positive area was 57 +/- 10% at day 14 after MI. Hydroxyproline contents were significantly increased in the noninfarcted septum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Developmental pattern of ANF gene expression reveals a strict localization of cardiac chamber formation in chicken.

In mouse, atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) gene expression was shown to be a marker for chamber formation within the embryonic heart. To gain insight into the process of chamber formation in the chicken embryonic heart, we analyzed the expression pattern of cANF during development. We found cANF to be specifically expressed in the myocardium of the morphologically distinguishable atrial and ventricular chambers, similar to ANF in mouse. cANF expression was never detected in the myocardium of the atrioventricular canal (AVC), inner curvature, and outflow tract (OFT), which is lined by endocardial cushions. Expression was strictly excluded from the interventricular myocardium and most proximal part of the bundle branches, as identified by the expression of Msx-2, whereas the rest of the bundle branches, trabeculae, and surrounding working myocardium did express cANF. The myocardium that forms de novo within the cushions after looping did not express cANF. At HH9 cANF expression was first observed in a subset of cardiomyocytes, which was localized ventrally in the fused heart tube and laterally in the unfused cardiac sheets. Together, these results show that cANF expression can be used to distinguish differentiated chamber (working) myocardium, including the peripheral ventricular conduction system, from embryonic myocardium. We conclude that differentiation of chamber myocardium takes place already at HH9 at the ventral side of the linear heart tube, possibly preceded by latero-medial signals in the unfused cardiac sheets.     

Comparative analysis of mRNA and protein expression of Popdc1 (Bves) during early development in the chick embryo.

The isolation of the Popeye gene family was based on its preferential expression in striated muscle tissue. Recently, a monoclonal antibody against chick Popdc1 (also known as Bves) became available and was used in this study to comparatively analyze the expression pattern of Popdc1 at both the protein and mRNA level during early chick embryogenesis. Using whole-mount immunohistochemistry, expression in the heart was first observed at Hamburger and Hamilton (HH) stage 10 in the presumptive left ventricular segment. Cardiac expression was confined to differentiated cardiac myocytes, and undifferentiated myocytes at the anterior and posterior pole showed little expression. After looping, the outer curvature myocardium showed prominent Popdc1 staining, whereas the inner curvature was unlabeled. Despite previous reports, Popdc1 protein was not detectable at any time point in the proepicardium, epicardium, or the smooth muscle layer of the coronary vessels. Whole-mount in situ hybridization using a full-length Popdc1 probe detected novel expression domains, which have not been described previously. Popdc1 mRNA was found in Hensen's node at HH stage 4, and by HH stage 5+, expression became asymmetric. In addition, Popdc1 mRNA was found in pharyngeal endoderm and in the notochordal plate. Subsequently, beginning at HH stage 9, Popdc1 mRNA expression was found in the cardiac mesoderm and expression was maintained in the heart in a pattern very similar to the one observed by antibody staining.     

Double inlet right ventricle

Summary A case of double inlet right ventricle in which both atrioventricular valves opened completely into the right ventricle is described. The left atrium communicated with the right ventricle by way of an opening low in the atrial septum and there was a large ventricular septal defect. The pulmonary trunk and aorta took their origin from the right and hypoplastic left ventricles respectively. The literature on this rare cardiac anomaly is reviewed and the morphological findings in this case are compared with those of the recorded cases. A short discussion of the possible embryogenesis is given.     

组蛋白去乙酰化酶8对肾性高血压大鼠心肌肥大的影响

目的: 研究组蛋白去乙酰化酶8(histone deacetylase 8,HDAC8)在肾性高血压大鼠左心室肥厚中的表达变化及HDAC抑制剂丙戊酸钠(valproic acid sodium, VPA)对心肌肥厚的影响。方法: 建立2肾2夹肾性高血压大鼠模型,术后4周开始给药,VPA高剂量(400 mg·kg^-1·d^-1)组及VPA低剂量(200 mg·kg^-1·d^-1)组连续腹腔注射VPA给药4周,同时设立假手术组和阳性对照坎地沙坦(10 mg·kg^-1·d^-1)组,实验结束时测量左心室/体重比值,HE染色检测心肌组织形态学变化, RT-PCR检测心房利钠因子(atrial natriuretic factor,ANF)和HDAC8 mRNA表达,Western blotting检测HDAC8的表达情况。结果: HDAC8 mRNA和蛋白表达水平在肾性高血压大鼠心肌组织中明显上调;VPA能够剂量依赖性降低HDAC8的表达, 同时VPA治疗组与坎地沙坦组高血压大鼠的左心室肥厚得到明显逆转,表现为心室体重比降低, 肥大心肌形态明显改善且ANF的表达下调。结论: HDAC8参与了肾性高血压大鼠心肌肥厚的发病过程,VPA可以下调其表达并部分逆转心肌肥厚。     

Apolipoprotein J/clusterin induction in myocarditis: A localized response gene to myocardial injury.

The function of apolipoprotein J (apoJ) is unknown, but it has been hypothesized to be cytoprotective. In the normal heart, abundant apoJ mRNA and protein are expressed in atrial myocytes; no expression is detected in ventricular myocytes. To provide clues about the role of apoJ in the heart, the response of apoJ to heart disease, including three models of myocarditis and two models of in vivo pressure overload hypertrophy, were examined. In the disease model studied extensively, myosin-induced myocarditis, in situ hybridization detected induction of apoJ mRNA in ventricular myocytes immediately before histological evidence of injury. ApoJ message in ventricular myocytes reached high levels as myocarditis became more severe. Evidence of early apoJ induction, before inflammation and injury, also occurred in viral myocarditis. ApoJ mRNA was not present in the inflammatory or interstitial cells during myocarditis. In areas of severe inflammation and myocardial fiber degeneration, apoJ showed a gradient of expression, with highest levels in myocytes immediately surrounding the lesion and diminishing with increasing distance. ApoJ protein also accumulated in myocytes at the interface between degenerated myocardial tissue and the surrounding cardiac tissue. During cardiac hypertrophy that occurred without associated inflammation or cell damage, ventricular apoJ mRNA was not detected. When ischemic damage accompanied hypertrophy, apoJ was induced in the ventricular myocytes near the lesion borders. The correlation of apoJ induction with ventricular tissue damage, but not hypertrophy, suggests that apoJ is a repair response protein. We propose that apoJ functions to limit tissue injury and/or promote tissue remodeling.     

Expression of collagenase and IL-1 alpha in developing rat hearts.

During development, extracellular matrix (ECM) molecules are thought to play a major role in regulating the formation of the heart. The change in the heart from a simple tube to a complex, four-chambered organ requires the modification of both the cellular components as well as the surrounding ECM. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP), which include collagenases, are enzymes present in the ECM that have the potential to modify the existing ECM during the development of the heart. Using both monoclonal and polyclonal antisera against collagenase, specific temporal and spatial patterns have been documented during critical periods of heart development. The cytokine interleukin 1 alpha (IL-1 alpha), a potent inducer of the MMP expression, was also shown to have a similar staining pattern in the developing heart. The monoclonal anti-rat collagenase (Mab) intensely stained the surfaces of the myocytes in the trabeculae and the ventricular and atrial walls of the 11.5 or 12.5 embryonic day (ED) rat hearts. In contrast, the polyclonal anti-human collagenase (Pab) stained not only the cardiomyocytes but also the hypertrophic endocardial cells. Pab appeared to stain the leading edge of the mesenchymal cells that migrate into the cardiac jelly of the 11.5 or 12.5 ED hearts. Immunohistochemical staining showed IL-1 alpha on the endocardial endothelium and the surface of cardiomyocytes near the cardiac jelly just before or coincident with the appearance of migrating cells. IL-1 alpha was detected on the endocardial endothelium, cardiomyocytes in the trabeculae, and the ventricular and atrial walls, as well as in the myocardial basement membrane of the truncal or atrioventricular region. However, no staining could be detected on the migrating cells in the cardiac cushions. These results indicate the presence of collagenase and IL-1 alpha on the surface of cardiomyocytes and mesenchymal cells at times when the heart is undergoing acute remodeling during septation and trabeculation. These data suggest a role for collagenase/cytokine interaction in tissue remodeling during critical stages of cardiac embryogenesis where modification of the ECM is essential to cardiac morphogenesis.     

Neonatal hyper- and hypothyroidism alter the myoglobin gene expression program in adulthood

Myoglobin acts as an oxygen store and a reactive oxygen species acceptor in muscles. We examined myoglobin mRNA in rat cardiac ventricle and skeletal muscles during the first 42 days of life and the impact of transient neonatal hypo- and hyperthyroidism on the myoglobin gene expression pattern. Cardiac ventricle and skeletal muscles of Wistar rats at 7-42 days of life were quickly removed, and myoglobin mRNA was determined by Northern blot analysis. Rats were treated with propylthiouracil (5-10 mg/100 g) and triiodothyronine (0.5-50 µg/100 g) for 5, 15, or 30 days after birth to induce hypo- and hyperthyroidism and euthanized either just after treatment or at 90 days. During postnatal (P) days 7-28, the ventricle myoglobin mRNA remained unchanged, but it gradually increased in skeletal muscle (12-fold). Triiodothyronine treatment, from days P0-P5, increased the skeletal muscle myoglobin mRNA 1.5- to 4.5-fold; a 2.5-fold increase was observed in ventricle muscle, but only when triiodothyronine treatment was extended to day P15. Conversely, hypothyroidism at P5 markedly decreased (60%) ventricular myoglobin mRNA. Moreover, transient hyperthyroidism in the neonatal period increased ventricle myoglobin mRNA (2-fold), and decreased heart rate (5%), fast muscle myoglobin mRNA (30%) and body weight (20%) in adulthood. Transient hypothyroidism in the neonatal period also permanently decreased fast muscle myoglobin mRNA (30%) and body weight (14%). These results indicated that changes in triiodothyronine supply in the neonatal period alter the myoglobin expression program in ventricle and skeletal muscle, leading to specific physiological repercussions and alterations in other parameters in adulthood.     

Cardiac angiotensin II type I and type II receptors are increased in rats submitted to experimental hypothyroidism

This study assessed the behaviour of angiotensin II (Ang II) receptors in an experimental hypothyroidism model in male Wistar rats. Animals were subjected to thyroidectomy and resting for 14 days. The alteration of cardiac mass was evaluated by total heart weight (HW), right ventricle weight (RVW), left ventricle weight (LVW), ratio of HW, RVW and LVW to body weight (BW) and atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) expression. Cardiac and plasma Ang II levels and serum T₃ and T₄ were determined. The mRNA and protein levels of Ang II receptors were investigated by RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Functional analyses were performed using binding assays. T₃ and T₄ levels and the haemodynamic parameters confirmed the hypothyroid state. HW/BW, RVW/BW and LVW/BW ratios and the ANF expression were lower than those of control animals. No change was observed in cardiac or plasma Ang II levels. Both AT1/AT2 mRNA and protein levels were increased in the heart of hypothyroid animals due to a significant increase of these receptors in the RV. Experiments performed in cardiomyocytes showed a direct effect promoted by low thyroid hormone levels upon AT1 and AT2 receptors, discarding possible influence of haemodynamic parameters. Functional assays showed that both receptors are able to bind Ang II. Herein, we have identified, for the first time, a close and direct relation of elevated Ang II receptor levels in hypothyroidism. Whether the increase in these receptors in hypothyroidism is an alternative mechanism to compensate the atrophic state of heart or whether it may represent a potential means to the progression of heart failure remains unknown.     

压力超负荷对大鼠左室心肌肌型LIM蛋白mRNA和蛋白表达的影响

目的:了解压力超负荷大鼠左室肥厚心肌肌型LIM蛋白(MLP)mRNA和蛋白水平的变化, 探讨病理性左室肥厚心肌是否存在细胞骨架蛋白的缺失。方法:观察大鼠腹主动脉缩窄术后1、4、8、16周各组血流动力学参数、心室肥厚指数、MLPmRNA表达和蛋白水平的变化。结果:腹主动脉缩窄术后4周左室肥厚指数较术后1周组明显增加(P＜0.05), 术后8周组左室心肌MLPmRNA的表达较术后1、4周组明显下降(P＜0.05), 但各组左室心肌MLP蛋白水平差异无显著(P＞0.05)。结论:在病理性左室肥厚心肌出现明显心力衰竭前, MLP转录水平下调, 而MLP蛋白水平无明显改变。提示MLP作为心肌细胞骨架的基础, 对维持肥厚左室心肌的收缩功能起重要作用。