Search

Background: Heart failure (HF) is characterized, among other factors, by a progressive loss of contractile function and by the formation of an arrhythmogenic substrate, both aspects partially related to intracellular Ca2+ cycling disorders. In failing hearts both electrophysiological and structural remodeling, including fibroblast proliferation, contribute to changes in Ca2+ handling which promote the appearance of Ca2+ alternans (Ca-alt). Ca-alt in turn give rise to repolarization alternans, which promote dispersion of repolarization and contribute to reentrant activity. The computational analysis of the incidence of Ca2+ and/or repolarization alternans under HF conditions in the presence of fibroblasts could provide a better understanding of the mechanisms leading to HF arrhythmias and contractile function disorders., Methods and Findings: The goal of the present study was to investigate in silico the mechanisms leading to the formation of Ca-alt in failing human ventricular myocytes and tissues with disperse fibroblast distributions. The contribution of ionic currents variability to alternans formation at the cellular level was analyzed and the results show that in normal ventricular tissue, altered Ca2+ dynamics lead to Ca-alt, which precede APD alternans and can be aggravated by the presence of fibroblasts. Electrophysiological remodeling of failing tissue alone is sufficient to develop alternans. The incidence of alternans is reduced when fibroblasts are present in failing tissue due to significantly depressed Ca2+ transients. The analysis of the underlying ionic mechanisms suggests that Ca-alt are driven by Ca2+-handling protein and Ca2+ cycling dysfunctions in the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum and that their contribution to alternans occurrence depends on the cardiac remodeling conditions and on myocyte-fibroblast interactions., Conclusion: It can thus be concluded that fibroblasts modulate the formation of Ca-alt in human ventricular tissue subjected to heart failure-related electrophysiological remodeling. Pharmacological therapies should thus consider the extent of both the electrophysiological and structural remodeling present in the failing heart., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Abnormal intracellular Ca2+ handling is the major contributor to the depressed cardiac contractility observed in heart failure. The electrophysiological remodeling associated with this pathology alters both the action potential and the Ca2+ dynamics, leading to a defective excitation-contraction coupling that ends in mechanical dysfunction. The importance of maintaining a correct intracellular Ca2+ concentration requires a better understanding of its regulation by ionic mechanisms. To study the electrical activity and ionic homeostasis of failing myocytes, a modified version of the O'Hara et al. human action potential model was used, including electrophysiological remodeling. The impact of the main ionic transport mechanisms was analyzed using single-parameter sensitivity analyses, the first of which explored the modulation of electrophysiological characteristics related to Ca2+ exerted by the remodeled parameters. The second sensitivity analysis compared the potential consequences of modulating individual channel conductivities, as one of the main effects of potential drugs, on Ca2+ dynamic properties under both normal conditions and in heart failure. The first analysis revealed the important contribution of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA) dysfunction to the altered Ca2+ homeostasis, with the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger (NCX) and other Ca2+ cycling proteins also playing a significant role. Our results highlight the importance of improving the SR uptake function to increase Ca2+ content and restore Ca2+ homeostasis and contractility. The second sensitivity analysis highlights the different response of the failing myocyte versus the healthy myocyte to potential pharmacological actions on single channels. The result of modifying the conductances of the remodeled proteins such as SERCA and NCX in heart failure has less impact on Ca2+ modulation. These differences should be taken into account when designing drug therapies.

Sarcolipin (SLN) and phospholamban (PLN) are two small proteins that regulate the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase pumps. In a recent study, we discovered that Pln overexpression (PlnOE) in slow-twitch type I skeletal muscle fibers drastically impaired SERCA function and caused a centronuclear myopathy-like phenotype, severe muscle atrophy and weakness, and an 8 to 9-fold upregulation of SLN protein in the soleus muscles. Here, we sought to determine the physiological role of SLN upregulation, and based on its role as a SERCA inhibitor, we hypothesized that it would represent a maladaptive response that contributes to the SERCA dysfunction and the overall myopathy observed in the PlnOE mice. To this end, we crossed Sln-null (SlnKO) mice with PlnOE mice to generate a PlnOE/SlnKO mouse colony and assessed SERCA function, CNM pathology, in vitro contractility, muscle mass, calcineurin signaling, daily activity and food intake, and proteolytic enzyme activity. Our results indicate that genetic deletion of Sln did not improve SERCA function nor rescue the CNM phenotype, but did result in exacerbated muscle atrophy and weakness, due to a failure to induce type II fiber compensatory hypertrophy and a reduction in total myofiber count. Mechanistically, our findings suggest that impaired calcineurin activation and resultant decreased expression of stabilin-2, and/or impaired autophagic signaling could be involved. Future studies should examine these possibilities. In conclusion, our study demonstrates the importance of SLN upregulation in combating muscle myopathy in the PlnOE mice, and since SLN is upregulated across several myopathies, our findings may reveal SLN as a novel and universal therapeutic target.

Abnormal cellular Ca2+ handling contributes to both contractile dysfunction and arrhythmias in heart failure. Reduced Ca2+ transient amplitude due to decreased sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content is a common finding in heart failure models. However, heart failure models also show increased propensity for diastolic Ca2+ release events which occur when sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content exceeds a certain threshold level. Such Ca2+ release events can initiate arrhythmias. In this study we aimed to investigate if both of these aspects of altered Ca2+ homeostasis could be found in left ventricular cardiomyocytes from rats with different states of cardiac function six weeks after myocardial infarction when compared to sham-operated controls. Video edge-detection, whole-cell Ca2+ imaging and confocal line-scan imaging were used to investigate cardiomyocyte contractile properties, Ca2+ transients and Ca2+ waves. In baseline conditions, i.e. without beta-adrenoceptor stimulation, cardiomyocytes from rats with large myocardial infarction, but without heart failure, did not differ from sham-operated animals in any of these aspects of cellular function. However, when exposed to beta-adrenoceptor stimulation, cardiomyocytes from both non-failing and failing rat hearts showed decreased sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content, decreased Ca2+ transient amplitude, and increased frequency of Ca2+ waves. These results are in line with a decreased threshold for diastolic Ca2+ release established by other studies. In the present study, factors that might contribute to a lower threshold for diastolic Ca2+ release were increased THR286 phosphorylation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II and increased protein phosphatase 1 abundance. In conclusion, this study demonstrates both decreased sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ content and increased propensity for diastolic Ca2+ release events in ventricular cardiomyocytes from rats with heart failure after myocardial infarction, and that these phenomena are also found in rats with large myocardial infarctions without heart failure development. Importantly, beta-adrenoceptor stimulation is necessary to reveal these perturbations in Ca2+ handling after a myocardial infarction.

There is growing evidence that severe decline of skeletal muscle mass and function with age may be mitigated by exercise and dietary supplementation with protein and amino acid ingredient technologies. The purposes of this study were to examine the effects of the leucine catabolite, beta-hydroxy-beta-methylbutyrate (HMB), in C2C12 myoblasts and myotubes, and to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with HMB, the amino acid β-alanine and the combination thereof, on muscle contractility in a preclinical model of pre-sarcopenia. In C2C12 myotubes, HMB enhanced sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium release beyond vehicle control in the presence of all SR agonists tested (KCl, P<0.01; caffeine, P = 0.03; ionomycin, P = 0.03). HMB also improved C2C12 myoblast viability (25 μM HMB, P = 0.03) and increased proliferation (25 μM HMB, P = 0.04; 125 μM HMB, P<0.01). Furthermore, an ex vivo muscle contractility study was performed on EDL and soleus muscle from 19 month old, male C57BL/6nTac mice. For 8 weeks, mice were fed control AIN-93M diet, diet with HMB, diet with β-alanine, or diet with HMB and β-alanine. In β-alanine fed mice, EDL muscle showed a 7% increase in maximum absolute force compared to the control diet (202 ± 3vs. 188± 5 mN, P = 0.02). At submaximal frequency of stimulation (20 Hz), EDL from mice fed HMB plus β-alanine showed an 11% increase in absolute force (88.6 ± 2.2 vs. 79.8 ± 2.4 mN, P = 0.025) and a 13% increase in specific force (12.2 ± 0.4 vs. 10.8 ± 0.4 N/cm2, P = 0.021). Also in EDL muscle, β-alanine increased the rate of force development at all frequencies tested (P<0.025), while HMB reduced the time to reach peak contractile force (TTP), with a significant effect at 80 Hz (P = 0.0156). In soleus muscle, all experimental diets were associated with a decrease in TTP, compared to control diet. Our findings highlight beneficial effects of HMB and β-alanine supplementation on skeletal muscle function in aging mice.

CD97 is a widely expressed adhesion class G-protein-coupled receptor (aGPCR). Here, we investigated the presence of CD97 in normal and malignant human skeletal muscle as well as the ultrastructural and functional consequences of CD97 deficiency in mice. In normal human skeletal muscle, CD97 was expressed at the peripheral sarcolemma of all myofibers, as revealed by immunostaining of tissue sections and surface labeling of single myocytes using flow cytometry. In muscle cross-sections, an intracellular polygonal, honeycomb-like CD97-staining pattern, typical for molecules located in the T-tubule or sarcoplasmatic reticulum (SR), was additionally found. CD97 co-localized with SR Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA), a constituent of the longitudinal SR, but not with the receptors for dihydropyridine (DHPR) or ryanodine (RYR), located in the T-tubule and terminal SR, respectively. Intracellular expression of CD97 was higher in slow-twitch compared to most fast-twitch myofibers. In rhabdomyosarcomas, CD97 was strongly upregulated and in part more N-glycosylated compared to normal skeletal muscle. All tumors were strongly CD97-positive, independent of the underlying histological subtype, suggesting high sensitivity of CD97 for this tumor. Ultrastructural analysis of murine skeletal myofibers confirmed the location of CD97 in the SR. CD97 knock-out mice had a dilated SR, resulting in a partial increase in triad diameter yet not affecting the T-tubule, sarcomeric, and mitochondrial structure. Despite these obvious ultrastructural changes, intracellular Ca2+ release from single myofibers, force generation and fatigability of isolated soleus muscles, and wheel-running capacity of mice were not affected by the lack of CD97. We conclude that CD97 is located in the SR and at the peripheral sarcolemma of human and murine skeletal muscle, where its absence affects the structure of the SR without impairing skeletal muscle function.

The large and rapidly increasing number of potentially pathological mutants in the type 1 ryanodine receptor (RyR1) prompts the need to characterize their effects on voltage-activated sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) release in skeletal muscle. Here we evaluated the function of the R4892W and G4896V RyR1 mutants, both associated with central core disease (CCD) in humans, in myotubes and in adult muscle fibers. For both mutants expressed in RyR1-null (dyspedic) myotubes, voltage-gated Ca(2+) release was absent following homotypic expression and only partially restored following heterotypic expression with wild-type (WT) RyR1. In muscle fibers from adult WT mice, both mutants were expressed in restricted regions of the fibers with a pattern consistent with triadic localization. Voltage-clamp-activated confocal Ca(2+) signals showed that fiber regions endowed with G4896V-RyR1s exhibited an ∼30% reduction in the peak rate of SR Ca(2+) release, with no significant change in SR Ca(2+) content. Immunostaining revealed no associated change in the expression of either α1S subunit (Cav1.1) of the dihydropyridine receptor (DHPR) or type 1 sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase (SERCA1), indicating that the reduced Ca(2+) release resulted from defective RyR1 function. Interestingly, in spite of robust localized junctional expression, the R4892W mutant did not affect SR Ca(2+) release in adult muscle fibers, consistent with a low functional penetrance of this particular CCD-associated mutant.

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a diabetic complication, which results in myocardial dysfunction independent of other etiological factors. Abnormal intracellular calcium ([Ca(2+)](i)) homeostasis has been implicated in DCM and may precede clinical manifestation. Studies in cardiomyocytes have shown that diabetes results in impaired [Ca(2+)](i) homeostasis due to altered sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase (SERCA) and sodium-calcium exchanger (NCX) activity. Importantly, altered calcium homeostasis may also be involved in diabetes-associated endothelial dysfunction, including impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation and a diminished capacity to generate nitric oxide (NO), elevated cell adhesion molecules, and decreased angiogenic growth factors. However, the effect of diabetes on Ca(2+) regulatory mechanisms in cardiac endothelial cells (CECs) remains unknown. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of diabetes on [Ca(2+)](i) homeostasis in CECs in the rat model (streptozotocin-induced) of DCM. DCM-associated cardiac fibrosis was confirmed using picrosirius red staining of the myocardium. CECs isolated from the myocardium of diabetic and wild-type rats were loaded with Fura-2, and UTP-evoked [Ca(2+)](i) transients were compared under various combinations of SERCA, sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) ATPase (PMCA) and NCX inhibitors. Diabetes resulted in significant alterations in SERCA and NCX activities in CECs during [Ca(2+)](i) sequestration and efflux, respectively, while no difference in PMCA activity between diabetic and wild-type cells was observed. These results improve our understanding of how diabetes affects calcium regulation in CECs, and may contribute to the development of new therapies for DCM treatment.

Background: The cardiac myocyte t-tubular system ensures rapid, uniform cell activation and several experimental lines of evidence suggest changes in the t-tubular system and associated excitation-contraction coupling proteins may occur in heart failure., Methods and Results: The organization of t-tubules, L-type calcium channels (DHPRs), ryanodine receptors (RyRs) and contractile machinery were examined in fixed ventricular tissue samples from both normal and failing hearts (idiopathic (non-ischemic) dilated cardiomyopathy) using high resolution fluorescent imaging. Wheat germ agglutinin (WGA), Na-Ca exchanger, DHPR and caveolin-3 labels revealed a shift from a predominantly transverse orientation to oblique and axial directions in failing myocytes. In failure, dilation of peripheral t-tubules occurred and a change in the extent of protein glycosylation was evident. There was no change in the fractional area occupied by myofilaments (labeled with phalloidin) but there was a small reduction in the number of RyR clusters per unit area. The general relationship between DHPRs and RyR was not changed and RyR labeling overlapped with 51±3% of DHPR labeling in normal hearts. In longitudinal (but not transverse) sections there was an ∼30% reduction in the degree of colocalization between DHPRs and RyRs as measured by Pearson's correlation coefficient in failing hearts., Conclusions: The results show that extensive remodelling of the t-tubular network and associated excitation-contraction coupling proteins occurs in failing human heart. These changes may contribute to abnormal calcium handling in heart failure. The general organization of the t-system and changes observed in failure samples have subtle differences to some animal models although the general direction of changes are generally similar.

Rationale: In ventricular myocytes of large mammals, not all ryanodine receptor (RyR) clusters are associated with T-tubules (TTs); this fraction increases with cellular remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI)., Objective: To characterize RyR functional properties in relation to TT proximity, at baseline and after MI., Methods: Myocytes were isolated from left ventricle of healthy pigs (CTRL) or from the area adjacent to a myocardial infarction (MI). Ca(2+) transients were measured under whole-cell voltage clamp during confocal linescan imaging (fluo-3) and segmented according to proximity of TTs (sites of early Ca(2+) release, F>F(50) within 20 ms) or their absence (delayed areas). Spontaneous Ca(2+) release events during diastole, Ca(2+) sparks, reflecting RyR activity and properties, were subsequently assigned to either category., Results: In CTRL, spark frequency was higher in proximity of TTs, but spark duration was significantly shorter. Block of Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX) prolonged spark duration selectively near TTs, while block of Ca(2+) influx via Ca(2+) channels did not affect sparks properties. In MI, total spark mass was increased in line with higher SR Ca(2+) content. Extremely long sparks (>47.6 ms) occurred more frequently. The fraction of near-TT sparks was reduced; frequency increased mainly in delayed sites. Increased duration was seen in near-TT sparks only; Ca(2+) removal by NCX at the membrane was significantly lower in MI., Conclusion: TT proximity modulates RyR cluster properties resulting in intracellular heterogeneity of diastolic spark activity. Remodeling in the area adjacent to MI differentially affects these RyR subpopulations. Reduction of the number of sparks near TTs and reduced local NCX removal limit cellular Ca(2+) loss and raise SR Ca(2+) content, but may promote Ca(2+) waves.