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Right ventricle (RV) dysfunction is an independent predictor of patient survival in heart failure (HF). However, the mechanisms of RV progression towards failing are not well understood. We studied cellular mechanisms of RV remodelling in a rat model of left ventricle myocardial infarction (MI)-caused HF. RV myocytes from HF rats show significant cellular hypertrophy accompanied with a disruption of transverse-axial tubular network and surface flattening. Functionally these cells exhibit higher contractility with lower Ca2+ transients. The structural changes in HF RV myocytes correlate with more frequent spontaneous Ca2+ release activity than in control RV myocytes. This is accompanied by hyperactivated L-type Ca2+ channels (LTCCs) located specifically in the T-tubules of HF RV myocytes. The increased open probability of tubular LTCCs and Ca2+ sparks activation is linked to protein kinase A-mediated channel phosphorylation that occurs locally in T-tubules. Thus, our approach revealed that alterations in RV myocytes in heart failure are specifically localized in microdomains. Our findings may indicate the development of compensatory, though potentially arrhythmogenic, RV remodelling in the setting of LV failure. These data will foster better understanding of mechanisms of heart failure and it could promote an optimized treatment of patients.

Aims Conflicting data exist supporting differing mechanisms for sustaining ventricular fibrillation (VF), ranging from disorganised multiple-wavelet activation to organised rotational activities (RAs). Abnormal gap junction (GJ) coupling and fibrosis are important in initiation and maintenance of VF. We investigated whether differing ventricular fibrosis patterns and the degree of GJ coupling affected the underlying VF mechanism. Methods and Results Optical mapping of 65 Langendorff-perfused rat hearts was performed to study VF mechanisms in control hearts with acute GJ modulation, and separately in three differing chronic ventricular fibrosis models; compact (CF), diffuse (DiF) and patchy (PF). VF dynamics were quantified with phase mapping and frequency dominance index (FDI) analysis, a power ratio of the highest amplitude dominant frequency in the cardiac frequency spectrum. Enhanced GJ coupling with rotigaptide (n = 10) progressively organised fibrillation in a concentration-dependent manner; increasing FDI (0nM: 0.53±0.04, 80nM: 0.78±0.03, p

Many plant cells exhibit polarity, revealed by asymmetric localization of specific proteins within each cell.

Acute myocardial ischaemia and reperfusion (I–R) are major causes of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with a history of coronary artery disease. Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) has previously been shown to be antiarrhythmic in fetal hearts. This study was performed to investigate if UDCA protects against ischaemia-induced and reperfusion-induced arrhythmias in the adult myocardium, and compares the effect of acute (perfusion only) versus prolonged (2 weeks pre-treatment plus perfusion) UDCA administration. Langendorff-perfused adult Sprague–Dawley rat hearts were subjected to acute regional ischaemia by ligation of the left anterior descending artery (10 min), followed by reperfusion (2 min), and arrhythmia incidence quantified. Prolonged UDCA administration reduced the incidence of acute ischaemia-induced arrhythmias (p = 0.028), with a reduction in number of ventricular ectopic beats during the ischaemic phase compared with acute treatment (10 ± 3 vs 58 ± 15, p = 0.036). No antiarrhythmic effect was observed in the acute UDCA administration group. Neither acute nor prolonged UDCA treatment altered the incidence of reperfusion arrhythmias. The antiarrhythmic effect of UDCA may be partially mediated by an increase in cardiac wavelength, due to the attenuation of conduction velocity slowing (p = 0.03), and the preservation of Connexin43 phosphorylation during acute ischaemia (p = 0.0027). The potential antiarrhythmic effects of prolonged UDCA administration merit further investigation.

Mechanical properties of single myocytes contribute to the whole heart performance, but the measurement of mechanics in living cells at high resolution with minimal force interaction remains challenging. Angiotensin II (AngII) is a peptide hormone that regulates a number of physiological functions, including heart performance. It has also been shown to contribute to cell mechanics by inducing cell stiffening. Using non-contact high-resolution Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy (SICM), we determine simultaneously cell topography and membrane transverse Young's modulus (YM) by a constant pressure application through a nanopipette. While applying pressure, the vertical position is recorded and a deformation map is generated from which YM can be calculated and corrected for the uneven geometry. High resolution of this method also allows studying specific membrane subdomains, such as Z-grooves and crests. We found that short-term AngII treatment reduces the transversal YM in isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes acting via an AT1 receptor. Blocking either a TGF-β1 receptor or Rho kinase abolishes this effect. Analysis of the cytoskeleton showed that AngII depletes microtubules by decreasing long-lived detyrosinated and acetylated microtubule populations. Interestingly, in the failing cardiomyocytes, which are stiffer than controls, the short-term AngII treatment also reduces the YM, thus normalizing the mechanical state of cells. This suggests that the short-term softening effect of AngII on cardiac cells is opposite to the well-characterized long-term hypertrophic effect. In conclusion, we generate a precise nanoscale indication map of location-specific transverse cortical YM within the cell and this can substantially advance our understanding of cellular mechanics in a physiological environment, for example in isolated cardiac myocytes.

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the leading causes of global mortality. Over the last decade, acute MI mortality has significantly decreased; however, fatal heart failure remains a common complication for post-MI survivors.[1][1] Lack of oxygen due to MI causes cardiac tissue necrosis and, as a

Summary Several plant proteins are preferentially localized to one end of a cell, allowing a polarity to be assigned to the cell. These cell polarity proteins often exhibit coordinated patterns between neighboring cells, termed tissue cell polarity. Tissue cell polarity is widespread in plants and can influence how cells grow, divide, and differentiate [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. However, it is unclear whether cell polarity is established through cell-intrinsic or -extrinsic mechanisms and how polarity is coupled to growth. To address these issues, we analyzed the behavior of a tissue cell polarity protein BASL (BREAKING OF ASYMMETRY IN THE STOMATAL LINEAGE) in the simplifying context of cultured cell filaments and in protoplasts before and during regeneration. We show that BASL is polarly localized when ectopically expressed in tobacco BY-2 cell cultures. Ectopic BASL is found preferentially at the developing tips of cell filaments, likely marking a polarized molecular address. Polarity can shift during the cell cycle and is resistant to treatment with microtubule, actin or auxin transport inhibitors. BASL also exhibits polar localization in spherical protoplasts, in contrast to other polarity proteins so far tested. BASL polarity within protoplasts is dynamic and resistant to auxin transport inhibitors. As protoplasts regenerate, polarity remains dynamic in isotropically growing cells but becomes fixed in anisotropic cells and aligns with the axis of cell growth. Our findings suggest that plant cells have an intrinsic ability to polarize and that environmental or developmental cues may act by biasing the direction of this polarity and thus the orientation of anisotropic growth., Graphical Abstract, Highlights • Ectopic GFP-BASL reveals a polarized molecular address in tobacco suspension cells • Spherical protoplasts have an intrinsic ability to polarize • Polarity is aligned with growth in regenerating protoplasts growing anisotropically • Polarity is dynamic in regenerating protoplasts growing isotropically, Chan et al. reveal a polarized molecular address in tobacco suspension cells through ectopic expression of GFP-BASL. They show protoplasts have an intrinsic ability to polarize and that polarity is aligned with the growth axis as they regenerate. Tissue-wide cues may bias the direction of polarity and thus orient anisotropic growth.

Cardiomyocyte β3-adrenoceptors (β3-ARs) coupled to soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC)-dependent production of the second messenger 3’,5’-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) have been shown to protect from heart failure. However, the exact localization of these receptors to fine membrane structures and subcellular compartmentation of β3-AR/cGMP signals underpinning this protection in health and disease remain elusive. Here, we used a Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET)-based cGMP biosensor combined with scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) to show that functional β3-ARs are mostly confined to the T-tubules of healthy rat cardiomyocytes. Heart failure, induced via myocardial infarction, causes a decrease of the cGMP levels generated by these receptors and a change of subcellular cGMP compartmentation. Furthermore, attenuated cGMP signals led to impaired phosphodiesterase two dependent negative cGMP-to-cAMP cross-talk. In conclusion, topographic and functional reorganization of the β3-AR/cGMP signalosome happens in heart failure and should be considered when designing new therapies acting via this receptor.

Cardiomyocyte β3-adrenoceptors (β3-ARs) coupled to soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC)-dependent production of the second messenger 3’,5’-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) have been shown to protect from heart failure. However, the exact localization of these receptors to fine membrane structures and subcellular compartmentation of β3-AR/cGMP signals underpinning this protection in health and disease remain elusive. Here, we used a Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET)-based cGMP biosensor combined with scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) to show that functional β3-ARs are mostly confined to the T-tubules of healthy rat cardiomyocytes. Heart failure, induced via myocardial infarction, causes a decrease of the cGMP levels generated by these receptors and a change of subcellular cGMP compartmentation. Furthermore, attenuated cGMP signals led to impaired phosphodiesterase two dependent negative cGMP-to-cAMP cross-talk. In conclusion, topographic and functional reorganization of the β3-AR/cGMP signalosome happens in heart failure and should be considered when designing new therapies acting via this receptor.

Background Ventricular fibrosis is known to play a critical role in initiation and maintenance of ventricular fibrillation (VF). Post myocardial infarction the quantity of fibrosis negatively correlates with survival. There is a lack of data on how the quantity and degree of fibrosis influences the mechanisms of VF itself. VF mechanisms remain debated, there are data to support both critical areas sustaining rotational drivers (RDs) and the contrary hypothesis of disorganized myocardial activation driving VF. Purpose We hypothesized that the underlying mechanism of VF is influenced by the spatial distribution and quantity of ventricular fibrosis. Methods Thirty-five Sprague-Dawley rats underwent permanent left anterior descending (LAD) ligation (n=11), 20mins LAD territory ischaemia-reperfusion (n=13) or in-vivo angiotensin infusion (500ng/kg/min, n=11) to generate compact (CF), patchy (PF) and diffuse fibrosis (DF) models respectively. After a 4-week maturation period, the hearts were explanted, Langendorff perfused and VF induced with burst pacing and 30μM pinacidil. Fibrillation dynamics were quantified using phase analysis, phase singularity (PS) tracking and our novel method of global fibrillation organisation quantification, frequency dominance index (FDI), which is a power ratio of highest amplitude dominant frequency in the frequency spectrum. Results Ventricular fibrosis for each group was characterized and quantified (CF: 22.3±3.2%, PF: 18.4±4.2%, DF: 5.8±1.3%, p=0.046). VF was driven predominantly by disorganised activity in CF, PSs were detected 26±7% of time comparative to 51.2±4% in DF and 69.5±8% in PF group (p=0.001). PF stabilised RDs, average maximum rotations for a single RD in PF were 31.6±7.1 comparative to 12.5±1.7 in DF and 6.4±1.1 in CF, p Conclusion VF mechanisms occur along a spectrum between organised activity sustained by discrete drivers and disorganised myocardial activation. The underlying VF mechanism can differ significantly dependent on the quantity and pattern of fibrosis. Patchy fibrosis stabilises RDs with localization to discrete areas and sustains an organised form of VF comparative to CF where VF is largely disorganised. Characterising the degree and pattern of fibrosis in patient groups vulnerable to VF might be beneficial in identifying patients with suitable targets for ablation. Acknowledgement/Funding BHF Programme Grant PG/16/17/32069

Background Mechanisms that maintain ventricular fibrillation (VF) remain debated. There are data supporting both critical areas sustaining rotational drivers (RDs) and the contrary hypothesis of disorganised myocardial activation driving VF. Abnormal electrical coupling between cardiomyocytes through gap junctions (GJ) and ventricular fibrosis are major factors in disease related remodelling, and have been implicated in initiation and maintenance of VF. In this study we hypothesised that the mechanism of VF is directly altered by fibrosis and GJ coupling, and that modulating these factors shifts or changes the predominant mechanism of fibrillation along the spectrum between disorganised activity and organised drivers. Methods VF optical mapping was performed in fifty-five perfused rat hearts with differing degrees and patterns of chronic ventricular fibrosis [compact (CF, n=11), patchy (PF, n=13) and diffuse (DF, n=11)], and acute GJ coupling modulation with rotigaptide (RTG, GJ coupling enhancer, 0–80nM, n=10) or carbenoxolone (CBX, GJ uncoupler, 0–50μM, n=10). Fibrillation dynamics were quantified using phase analysis, RD tracking and our novel method of global fibrillation organisation quantification, frequency dominance index (FDI), which is defined as the power ratio of highest amplitude dominant frequency in the frequency spectrum. Results In the fibrosis group, VF was driven predominantly by disorganised activity in CF, RDs were detected 26±7% of time comparative to 51.2±4% in DF and 69.5±8% in PF group (p=0.001). PF stabilised RDs, average maximum rotations for a single RD in PF were 31.6±7.1 comparative to 12.5±1.7 in DF and 6.4±1.1 in CF, p Conclusion VF mechanisms occur along a spectrum between organised activity with discrete drivers and disorganised myocardial activation. The degree of GJ coupling and ventricular fibrosis are key determinants of the underlying mechanism of VF. Enhanced GJ coupling and patchy fibrosis organised fibrillation and stabilised RDs, whilst GJ uncoupling and compact fibrosis disorganised VF. This study presents a unifying explanation for the numerous mechanisms reported for sustaining fibrillation. Characterising the degree and pattern of fibrosis in patient groups vulnerable to VF might be beneficial in identifying patients with targetable substrate, and GJ modulation might be a potential therapeutic target. Conflict of interest Nil

Although clinicians and researchers have long appreciated the detrimental effects of excessive acute inflammation after myocardial infarction (MI), less is known about the role of the adaptive immune system in MI complications including heart failure. Yet, abundant cardiac self-antigens released from necrotic cardiomyocytes in a highly inflammatory environment are likely to overwhelm peripheral mechanisms of immunological self-tolerance and adaptive auto-reactivity against the heart may cause ongoing tissue destruction and exacerbate progression to chronic heart failure (CHF).Here, we confirm that the adaptive immune system is indeed persistently active in CHF due to ischemic heart disease triggered by MI in rats. Heart draining mediastinal lymph nodes contain active secondary follicles with mature class-switched IgG2a positive cells, and mature anti-heart auto-antibodies binding to cardiac epitopes are still present in serum as late as 16 weeks after MI. When applied to healthy cardiomyocytes in vitro, humoral factors present in CHF serum promoted apoptosis, cytotoxicity and signs of hypertrophy.These findings directly implicate post-MI autoimmunity as an integral feature of CHF progression, constituting a roadblock to effective regeneration and a promising target for therapeutic intervention.

Early stages of a beneficial relationship Plants benefit from widespread symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. This symbiosis between plant and fungus aids plants in capturing mineral and micronutrients from the soil. Gutjahr et al. have now identified a component of an intracellular receptor, the hydrolase DWARF 14 LIKE, required in rice roots for initiating the symbiosis. A similar receptor detects karrikins in smoke that signal opportunity for fireweed to grow after a forest fire. Science , this issue p. 1521

Researchers develop sutureless conductive patch with enhanced biostability and effect on heart conduction velocity., Electrically active constructs can have a beneficial effect on electroresponsive tissues, such as the brain, heart, and nervous system. Conducting polymers (CPs) are being considered as components of these constructs because of their intrinsic electroactive and flexible nature. However, their clinical application has been largely hampered by their short operational time due to a decrease in their electronic properties. We show that, by immobilizing the dopant in the conductive scaffold, we can prevent its electric deterioration. We grew polyaniline (PANI) doped with phytic acid on the surface of a chitosan film. The strong chelation between phytic acid and chitosan led to a conductive patch with retained electroactivity, low surface resistivity (35.85 ± 9.40 kilohms per square), and oxidized form after 2 weeks of incubation in physiological medium. Ex vivo experiments revealed that the conductive nature of the patch has an immediate effect on the electrophysiology of the heart. Preliminary in vivo experiments showed that the conductive patch does not induce proarrhythmogenic activities in the heart. Our findings set the foundation for the design of electronically stable CP-based scaffolds. This provides a robust conductive system that could be used at the interface with electroresponsive tissue to better understand the interaction and effect of these materials on the electrophysiology of these tissues.

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text., Rationale: Disruption in subcellular targeting of Ca2+ signaling complexes secondary to changes in cardiac myocyte structure may contribute to the pathophysiology of a variety of cardiac diseases, including heart failure (HF) and certain arrhythmias. Objective: To explore microdomain-targeted remodeling of ventricular L-type Ca2+ channels (LTCCs) in HF. Methods and Results: Super-resolution scanning patch-clamp, confocal and fluorescence microscopy were used to explore the distribution of single LTCCs in different membrane microdomains of nonfailing and failing human and rat ventricular myocytes. Disruption of membrane structure in both species led to the redistribution of functional LTCCs from their canonical location in transversal tubules (T-tubules) to the non-native crest of the sarcolemma, where their open probability was dramatically increased (0.034±0.011 versus 0.154±0.027, P

Mutations in genes involved in cardiac mechanosensation (mec), such as the muscle LIM protein (MLP) have been shown to cause heart failure. Identification of novel mec genes may provide new insights into underlying mechanisms. A yeast 2 hybrid screen identified a novel MIP, located at a chromosomal region recently implicated by GWASs in the pathogenesis of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), an interaction confirmed by various assays. We found that MIP1 is a stress inducible transcription factor, binds to the calcineurin promoter and activates NFAT, a known mediator of hypertrophy. Also overexpression of MIP1 in vitro promotes autophagy and activates expression of anti-apoptotic genes in cardiac myocytes. Mip1 conventional knockout animals die during gastrulation whereas Mip1 conditional knockout (cKO) animals failed to adapt to transverse aortic constriction. Four weeks after intervention, fractional shortening was significantly decreased, whereas LVEDD and LVESD were significantly increased in cKO mice compared to control littermates. TUNEL assays combined with activated caspase, whole gene expression arrays and qRT-PCR provide strong evidence that Mip1 cKO hearts are unable to undergo autophagy and as a result activate apoptotic processes which are responsible for the observed heart failure phenotype. However, overexpression of MIP1 in vivo resulted in marked cardiac hypertrophy at the organ and single cell levels, pointing to a link between autophagy and hypertrophy. As MIP1 contains the peak association signal (rs10927875) at the replicated 1p36 cardiomyopathy locus, we sequenced this gene in 575 unrelated individuals affected by DCM and identified 4 MIP1 missense mutations (T106M, G179S, A188V, Q531R) of which 2 co-segregate in two families with DCM and arrhythmia. All 4 variants show abnormalities with regards to their ability to interact with MLP, localization, structure, stability and potential to drive the calcineurin promoter. WT-MIP1 is able to efficiently protect cells from apoptosis, a property missing in all mutants. At least G179S and Q531R cause heart failure in the zebrafish. MIP1 is important for the initiation of survival pathways and autophagy upon biomechanical stress and represents a novel cardiomyopathy candidate gene.

Summary Tissue-wide polarity fields, in which cell polarity is coordinated across the tissue, have been described for planar organs such as the Drosophila wing and are considered important for coordinating growth and differentiation [1]. In planar plant organs, such as leaves, polarity fields have been identified for subgroups of cells, such as stomatal lineages [2], trichomes [3, 4], serrations [5], or early developmental stages [6]. Here, we show that ectopic induction of the stomatal protein BASL (BREAKING OF ASYMMETRY IN THE STOMATAL LINEAGE) reveals a tissue-wide epidermal polarity field in leaves throughout development. Ectopic GFP-BASL is typically localized toward the proximal end of cells and to one lobe of mature pavement cells, revealing a polarity field that aligns with the proximodistal axis of the leaf (base to tip). The polarity field is largely parallel to the midline of the leaf but diverges in more lateral positions, particularly at later stages in development, suggesting it may be deformed during growth. The polarity field is observed in the speechless mutant, showing that it is independent of stomatal lineages, and is observed in isotropic cells, showing that cell shape anisotropy is not required for orienting polarity. Ectopic BASL forms convergence and divergence points at serrations, mirroring epidermal PIN polarity patterns, suggesting a common underlying polarity mechanism. Thus, we show that similar to the situation in animals, planar plant organs have a tissue-wide cell polarity field, and this may provide a general cellular mechanism for guiding growth and differentiation., Graphical Abstract, Highlights • Ectopic expression of BASL in Arabidopsis leaves reveals coordinated polarity • The ectopic BASL polarity field is independent of the stomatal lineage • The polarity field reorients around serrations, mirroring PIN1 polarity, Mansfield et al. demonstrate a coordinated tissue cell polarity field in the Arabidopsis leaf epidermis revealed by ectopic expression of BASL. This polarity field is independent of the stomatal lineage and reorients around serrations, mirroring the polarity of PIN1.

Background— Mutations in sarcomeric and cytoskeletal proteins are a major cause of hereditary cardiomyopathies, but our knowledge remains incomplete as to how the genetic defects execute their effects. Methods and Results— We used cysteine and glycine-rich protein 3, a known cardiomyopathy gene, in a yeast 2-hybrid screen and identified zinc-finger and BTB domain-containing protein 17 ( ZBTB17 ) as a novel interacting partner. ZBTB17 is a transcription factor that contains the peak association signal (rs10927875) at the replicated 1p36 cardiomyopathy locus. ZBTB17 expression protected cardiac myocytes from apoptosis in vitro and in a mouse model with cardiac myocyte–specific deletion of Zbtb17 , which develops cardiomyopathy and fibrosis after biomechanical stress. ZBTB17 also regulated cardiac myocyte hypertrophy in vitro and in vivo in a calcineurin-dependent manner. Conclusions— We revealed new functions for ZBTB17 in the heart, a transcription factor that may play a role as a novel cardiomyopathy gene.

Helicoverpa spp. is the primary pest in the Australian fresh-market tomato industry. We describe the spatial distribution of Helicoverpa spp. eggs on fresh-market tomato crops in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, and present a sequential sampling plan for monitoring population densities. The distribution of Helicoverpa spp. eggs was highly contagious, as indicated by a Taylor's b-value of 1.59. This high level of contagion meant that relatively large sample sizes would need to be collected to obtain an estimate of population density. High-precision sampling plans generally necessitated impractical sample sizes, and thus the plan we present is a relatively low-precision level plan (SE/mean = 0.3). Nonetheless, this level of precision is considered adequate for most agronomic scenarios. The plan was validated using a statistical re-sampling approach. The level of precision achieved was generally close to the nominal level. Likewise, the number of samples collected generally showed little departure from the theoretically calculated minimum sample size.

During two growing seasons, the use of an attract-and-kill system for control of Carpophilus spp. (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) and the effective range or drawing power of the attract-and-kill stations were examined in stone fruit orchards in the Goulburn Valley, northern Victoria, Australia. Three attract-and-kill stations, baited with synthetic aggregation pheromone plus co-attractant, were placed about 50 m apart in the upwind corner of each treated block 5 ‐ 6 weeks before the fruit began to ripen. Large numbers of Carpophilus spp. were caught in the attract-and-kill stations immediately after placement. By the time fruit had ripened, the number of Carpophilus spp. caught had decreased greatly. Fruit damage caused by Carpophilus spp. in treated blocks, especially in 2000 ‐2001 season, was almost zero (0.1% and 0.6%) in trees and on the ground, respectively, whereas the damage levels in control blocks were 5.2% and 19.9% in trees and on the ground, respectively. This study indicates that excellent protection of ripening stone fruit may be achieved by using attract-and kill-stations.

Background— Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is an acute heart failure syndrome characterized by myocardial hypocontractility from the mid left ventricle to the apex. It is precipitated by extreme stress and can be triggered by intravenous catecholamine administration, particularly epinephrine. Despite its grave presentation, Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is rapidly reversible, with generally good prognosis. We hypothesized that this represents switching of epinephrine signaling through the pleiotropic β 2 -adrenergic receptor (β 2 AR) from canonical stimulatory G-protein–activated cardiostimulant to inhibitory G-protein–activated cardiodepressant pathways. Methods and Results— We describe an in vivo rat model in which a high intravenous epinephrine, but not norepinephrine, bolus produces the characteristic reversible apical depression of myocardial contraction coupled with basal hypercontractility. The effect is prevented via G i inactivation by pertussis toxin pretreatment. β 2 AR number and functional responses were greater in isolated apical cardiomyocytes than in basal cardiomyocytes, which confirmed the higher apical sensitivity and response to circulating epinephrine. In vitro studies demonstrated high-dose epinephrine can induce direct cardiomyocyte cardiodepression and cardioprotection in a β 2 AR-Gi–dependent manner. Preventing epinephrine-G i effects increased mortality in the Takotsubo model, whereas β-blockers that activate β 2 AR-G i exacerbated the epinephrine-dependent negative inotropic effects without further deaths. In contrast, levosimendan rescued the acute cardiac dysfunction without increased mortality. Conclusions— We suggest that biased agonism of epinephrine for β 2 AR-G s at low concentrations and for G i at high concentrations underpins the acute apical cardiodepression observed in Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, with an apical-basal gradient in β 2 ARs explaining the differential regional responses. We suggest this epinephrine-specific β 2 AR-G i signaling may have evolved as a cardioprotective strategy to limit catecholamine-induced myocardial toxicity during acute stress.

Background: Phosphate is released by the cardiac actomyosin ATPase during contraction. Results: Stretching active cardiac muscle decreases phosphate release within milliseconds. Conclusion: Mechanical stimuli such as stretch cause an immediate change in actomyosin ATPase kinetics. Significance: Stretch facilitates a powerful contraction by increasing cross-bridges in a pre-power stroke state, and changes cytoplasmic phosphate flux, which may influence energetic homeostasis. The contractile performance of the heart is linked to the energy that is available to it. Yet, the heart needs to respond quickly to changing demands. During diastole, the heart fills with blood and the heart chambers expand. Upon activation, contraction of cardiac muscle expels blood into the circulation. Early in systole, parts of the left ventricle are being stretched by incoming blood, before contraction causes shrinking of the ventricle. We explore here the effect of stretch of contracting permeabilized cardiac trabeculae of the rat on the rate of inorganic phosphate (Pi) release resulting from ATP hydrolysis, using a fluorescent sensor for Pi with millisecond time resolution. Stretch immediately reduces the rate of Pi release, an effect observed both at full calcium activation (32 μmol/liter of Ca2+), and at a physiological activation level of 1 μmol/liter of Ca2+. The results suggest that stretch redistributes the actomyosin cross-bridges toward their Pi-containing state. The redistribution means that a greater fraction of cross-bridges will be poised to rapidly produce a force-generating transition and movement, compared with cross-bridges that have not been subjected to stretch. At the same time stretch modifies the Pi balance in the cytoplasm, which may act as a cytoplasmic signal for energy turnover.

We aim to reveal the molecular mechanism underlying the force response to stretch in the heart by examining the dependence of the rate of inorganic phosphate (P i ) release in response to stretch on the degree of calcium activation. Permeabilized trabeculae of rat heart are activated by photolytic release of ATP, at 20°C, in the presence of saturating (32µM), or half-saturating (1µM), calcium concentrations, at an initial sarcomere length of 1.9 or 2.1 µm. For trabeculae with an initial sarcomere length of 1.9 µm, the trabeculae are stretched to 2.1 µm during the isometric plateau, held at a constant length and returned to their original length. The rate of P i release is determined by the fluorescence change associated with phosphate binding to a fluorescently-labelled phosphate binding protein diffused into the preparation. At an initial sarcomere length of 1.9µm, the isometric force at full activation was 51 kN.m −2 compared to 26kN.m −2 at half-maximal activation. During the isometric phase, P i release is at a steady rate of 8.2 and 4.8 s −1 (assuming a myosin head concentration of 120µM) at 32 and 1µM calcium, respectively. During stretch, the rate of P i release decreases markedly at both activation levels, to1.0 and 1.4s −1 respectively. Activation from an initial sarcomere length of 2.1µm produced an isometric force of 65.5 kN.m −2 with a steady P i release rate of 8.1 s −1 at maximal activation, and an isometric force of 49.2 kN.m −2 with a steady P i release rate of 4.8 s −1 at half-maximal activation. The rates of P i release during stretch and after the end of the stretch at low activation are equal to that at high activation indicating stretch-induced activation which occurs for stretches applied prior to activation, and during activation. The results demonstrate that stretch has a dramatic effect causing an immediate reduction in the rate of P i release. Stretch contributes to activation of the trabecula's actomyosin ATPase in a calcium-independent manner, although the effect is more marked at low activation levels. Thus a direct effect of stretch on thin filament activation contributes to the Frank-Starling law.

We have investigated a transgenic mouse model of inherited dilated cardiomyopathy that stably expresses the ACTC E361G mutation at around 50% of total actin in the heart. F-actin isolated from ACTC E361G mouse hearts was incorporated into thin filaments with native human tropomyosin and troponin and compared with NTG mouse actin by in vitro motility assay. There was no significant difference in sliding speed, fraction of filaments motile or Ca(2+)-sensitivity (ratio EC(50) E361G/NTG=0.95+/-0.08). The Ca(2+)-sensitivity of force in skinned trabeculae from ACTC E361G mice was slightly higher than NTG (EC(50) E361G/NTG=0.78+/-0.04). The molecular phenotype was revealed when troponin was dephosphorylated; Ca(2+)-sensitivity of E361G-containing thin filaments was now lower than NTG (EC(50) E361G(dPTn)/NTG(dPTn)=2.15+/-0.09). We demonstrated that this was due to uncoupling of Ca(2+)-sensitivity from troponin I phosphorylation by comparing Ca(2+)-sensitivity of phosphorylated and dephosphorylated thin filaments. For NTG actin-containing thin filaments EC(50) native/dPTn=3.0+/-0.3 but for E361G-containing thin filaments EC(50) native/dPTn=1.04+/-0.07.We studied contractility in isolated myocytes and found no significant differences under basal conditions. We measured cardiac performance by cine-MRI, echocardiography and with a conductance catheter over a period of 4 to 18 months and found minimal systematic differences between NTG and ACTC E361G mice under basal conditions. However, the increase in septal thickening, ejection fraction, heart rate and cardiac output following dobutamine treatment was significantly less in ACTC E361G mice compared with NTG. We propose that the ACTC E361G mutation uncouples myofilament Ca(2+)-sensitivity from Troponin I phosphorylation and blunts the response to adrenergic stimulation, leading to a reduced cardiac reserve with consequent contractile dysfunction under stress, leading to dilated cardiomyopathy.

Erratum to: Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol (2014) 466:1093–1099 DOI 10.1007/s00424-014-1468-4

Purpose: Mutations in several sarcomeric Z-disc proteins, such as muscle LIM protein (MLP), have been shown to cause hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathies. The transcription factor MIP1 has been identified as a novel MLP interacting protein which is important in the cardiac stress response and able to cause cardiac hypertrophy in vivo. Here we examine, in vitro, the mechanisms behind this cardiac phenotype and investigate potential disease causing mutations in this protein. Methods and Results: Adenoviral overexpression of MIP1 in adult and neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) showed that MIP1 induces cardiac myocyte hypertrophy, as seen by increased cell size and real-time impedance measurements (n=10, p

Purposes: Mutations in sarcomeric proteins are a major cause of hereditary cardiomyopathies. Muscle LIM protein (MLP, CSRP3) is involved in cardiac mechanosensation and important for myocyte-specific survival pathways. Identification of novel MLP interacting proteins (MIP) may provide novel insights into underlying molecular mechanisms of human disease. Methods and Results: Yeast two-hybrid screens identified MIP1 as a novel MLP interacting protein, which is a member of the poxvirus and zinc-finger (POZ or BTB) domain/zinc-finger transcription factor family. The interaction was confirmed by co-immunoprecipitation, cross-linking of recombinant proteins and immunohistochemistry. Cardiac myocyte specific conditional knockout mice (cKO) were generated and underwent transverse aortic constriction (TAC) to unveil potential gene effects. After 4 weeks of TAC left ventricles of cKO mice became dilated (LVIDd mm: 3.74 vs 3.44, LVIDs mm: 2.00 vs 1.65, cKO: n=10, Control: n=8, P

Phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (RLC) may be important for regulating the contraction of vertebrate striated muscle fibers. Mutations affecting phosphorylation of the RLC have been shown to correlate with certain familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathies (FHCs), most notably the E22K mutation known to prevent serine-15 RLC phosphorylation. We hypothesise that altered RLC phosphorylation affects both the Ca2+ -sensitivity and power output of permeabilized cardiac trabeculae, myofilaments and single myosin molecules. We exchanged expressed non-phosphorylated Rhodamine-labeled cardiac RLC into permeabilized cardiac trabeculae from rat. Temperature jump (T-jump) activation and force-velocity measurements were used to observe changes to mechanical properties of trabeculae. Phos-tagTM SDS-PAGE analysis of left ventricular homogenate from Sprague-Dawley rats determined endogenous RLC phosphorylation levels of 0.44 mol of Pi per mol of RLC. Preliminary force-velocity results using T-jump activation at 20oC of control permeabilized left ventricular cardiac trabeculae (n=5) indicated a peak shortening velocity of 7.9 ± 0.1 FL/s, the shortening velocity at peak power output as 1.8 ± 0.1 FL/s, at which peak isotonic force was measured to be 16.9 ± 1.5% of peak isometric force, 100 ± 9 kN/m2. We propose to alter phosphorylation of recombinant RLC in-vitro and exchange with native trabecular RLC to see the effects of changing RLC phosphorylation on contractile parameters such as peak power, Vmax and pCa50.

Mechanosensation and mechanotransduction are fundamental aspects of biology, but the link between physical stimuli and biological responses remains not well understood. The perception of mechanical stimuli, their conversion into biochemical signals, and the transmission of these signals are particularly important for dynamic organs such as the heart. Various concepts have been introduced to explain mechanosensation at the molecular level, including effects on signalosomes, tensegrity, or direct activation (or inactivation) of enzymes. Striated muscles, including cardiac myocytes, differ from other cells in that they contain sarcomeres which are essential for the generation of forces and which play additional roles in mechanosensation. The majority of cardiomyopathy causing candidate genes encode structural proteins among which titin probably is the most important one. Due to its elastic elements, titin is a length sensor and also plays a role as a tension sensor (i.e., stress sensation). The recent discovery of titin mutations being a major cause of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) also underpins the importance of mechanosensation and mechanotransduction in the pathogenesis of heart failure. Here, we focus on sarcomere-related mechanisms, discuss recent findings, and provide a link to cardiomyopathy and associated heart failure.