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Normal contractile function of the heart depends on a constant and reliable production of ATP by cardiomyocytes. Dysregulation of cardiac energy metabolism can result in immature heart development and disrupt the ability of the adult myocardium to adapt to stress, potentially leading to heart failure. Further, restoration of abnormal mitochondrial function can have beneficial effects on cardiac dysfunction. Previously, we identified a novel protein termed Perm1 (PGC-1 and estrogen-related receptor (ERR)-induced regulator, muscle 1) that is enriched in skeletal and cardiac-muscle mitochondria and transcriptionally regulated by PGC-1 (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1) and ERR. The role of Perm1 in the heart is poorly understood and is studied here. We utilized cell culture, mouse models, and human tissue, to study its expression and transcriptional control, as well as its role in transcription of other factors. Critically, we tested Perm1's role in cardiomyocyte mitochondrial function and its ability to protect myocytes from stress-induced damage. Our studies show that Perm1 expression increases throughout mouse cardiogenesis, demonstrate that Perm1 interacts with PGC-1α and enhances activation of PGC-1 and ERR, increases mitochondrial DNA copy number, and augments oxidative capacity in cultured neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes. Moreover, we found that Perm1 reduced cellular damage produced as a result of hypoxia and reoxygenation-induced stress and mitigated cell death of cardiomyocytes. Taken together, our results show that Perm1 promotes mitochondrial biogenesis in mouse cardiomyocytes. Future studies can assess the potential of Perm1 to be used as a novel therapeutic to restore cardiac dysfunction induced by ischemic injury.

Normal contractile function of the heart depends on a constant and reliable production of ATP by cardiomyocytes. Dysregulation of cardiac energy metabolism can result in immature heart development and disrupt the ability of the adult myocardium to adapt to stress, potentially leading to heart failure. Further, restoration of abnormal mitochondrial function can have beneficial effects on cardiac dysfunction. Previously, we identified a novel protein termed Perm1 (PGC-1 and estrogen-related receptor (ERR)-induced regulator, muscle 1) that is enriched in skeletal and cardiac-muscle mitochondria and transcriptionally regulated by PGC-1 (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1) and ERR. The role of Perm1 in the heart is poorly understood and is studied here. We utilized cell culture, mouse models, and human tissue, to study its expression and transcriptional control, as well as its role in transcription of other factors. Critically, we tested Perm1's role in cardiomyocyte mitochondrial function and its ability to protect myocytes from stress-induced damage. Our studies show that Perm1 expression increases throughout mouse cardiogenesis, demonstrate that Perm1 interacts with PGC-1α and enhances activation of PGC-1 and ERR, increases mitochondrial DNA copy number, and augments oxidative capacity in cultured neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes. Moreover, we found that Perm1 reduced cellular damage produced as a result of hypoxia and reoxygenation-induced stress and mitigated cell death of cardiomyocytes. Taken together, our results show that Perm1 promotes mitochondrial biogenesis in mouse cardiomyocytes. Future studies can assess the potential of Perm1 to be used as a novel therapeutic to restore cardiac dysfunction induced by ischemic injury.

Objective Endurance exercise training remodels skeletal muscle, leading to increased mitochondrial content and oxidative capacity. How exercise entrains skeletal muscle signaling pathways to induce adaptive responses remains unclear. In past studies, we identified Perm1 (PGC-1 and ERR induced regulator, muscle 1) as an exercise-induced gene and showed that Perm1 overexpression elicits similar muscle adaptations as endurance exercise training. The mechanism of action and the role of Perm1 in exercise-induced responses are not known. In this study, we aimed to determine the pathway by which Perm1 acts as well as the importance of Perm1 for acute and long-term responses to exercise. Methods We performed immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry to identify Perm1 associated proteins, and validated Perm1 interactions with the Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). We also knocked down Perm1 expression in gastrocnemius muscles of mice via AAV-mediated delivery of shRNA and assessed the impact of reduced Perm1 expression on both acute molecular responses to a single treadmill exercise bout and long-term adaptive responses to four weeks of voluntary wheel running training. Finally, we asked whether Perm1 levels are modulated by diet or diseases affecting skeletal muscle function. Results We show that Perm1 associates with skeletal muscle CaMKII and promotes CaMKII activation. In response to an acute exercise bout, muscles with a knock down of Perm1 showed defects in the activation of CaMKII and p38 MAPK and blunted induction of regulators of oxidative metabolism. Following four weeks of voluntary training, Perm1 knockdown muscles had attenuated mitochondrial biogenesis. Finally, we found that Perm1 expression is reduced in diet-induced obese mice and in muscular dystrophy patients and mouse models. Conclusions Our findings identify Perm1 as a muscle-specific regulator of exercise-induced signaling and Perm1 levels as tuners of the skeletal muscle response to exercise. The decreased Perm1 levels in states of obesity or muscle disease suggest that Perm1 may link pathological states to inefficient exercise responses., Highlights • Perm1 interacts with CaMKII and activates the CaMKII-MEF2 pathway. • Perm1 is important for CaMKII activation and PGC-1α induction by an exercise bout. • In endurance training, Perm1 impacts muscle oxidative metabolism pathway responses. • Skeletal muscle levels of Perm1 are reduced in obesity and muscular dystrophy.

Mitochondria and oxidative metabolism are critical for maintaining cardiac muscle function. Research has shown that mitochondrial dysfunction is an important contributing factor to impaired cardiac function found in heart failure. By contrast, restoring defective mitochondrial function may have beneficial effects to improve cardiac function in the failing heart. Therefore, studying the regulatory mechanisms and identifying novel regulators for mitochondrial function could provide insight which could be used to develop new therapeutic targets for treating heart disease. Here, cardiac myocyte mitochondrial respiration is analyzed using a unique cell culture system. First, a protocol has been optimized to rapidly isolate and culture high viability neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes. Then, a 96-well format extracellular flux analyzer is used to assess the oxygen consumption rate of these cardiomyocytes. For this protocol, we optimized seeding conditions and demonstrated that neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes oxygen consumption rate can be easily assessed in an extracellular flux analyzer. Finally, we note that our protocol can be applied to a larger culture size and other studies, such as intracellular signaling and contractile function analysis.

To determine the effect of the chain length of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) on VLDL secretion, the media of chicken hepatocyte cultures were supplemented with hexanoate (6:0), octanoate (8:0), decanoate (10:0), or dodecanoate (12:0). The supplementation of palmitate (16:0) or bovine serum albumin (BSA) alone in media was used as the positive control or the control, respectively. Palmitate significantly increased intracellular triacylglycerol (TG) accumulation and VLDL-TG, -cholesterol, and -apolipoprotein (apo)B secretion. On the other hand, the addition of hexanoate did not affect these variables relative to control cultures supplemented with BSA alone, whereas octanoate, decanoate, and dodecanoate decreased apoB secretion from the chicken hepatocytes. ApoB secretion from hepatocytes cultured with 1.0 mmol/L MCFA, in particular decanoate and dodecanoate, in the presence of 0.2 mmol/L palmitate was significantly lower than that obtained with 0.2 mmol/L palmitate alone. Decanoate at 0.25-1.0 mmol/L dose dependently reduced apoB mRNA expression compared with the control (BSA alone). The levels of 3-hydroxy-3-metylglutaryl-CoA reductase and apoA-I mRNA were significantly lower in cultures supplemented with hexanoate, octanoate, and decanoate than in cultures with dodecanoate and palmitate. These changes did not correspond to the reduction in VLDL-apoB secretion. We suggest that MCFAs with different chain lengths differentially affect apoB secretion and mRNA expression, with decanoate being the most effective at decreasing VLDL-apoB secretion by regulating apoB mRNA expression at the transcriptional level.

Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) is involved in the transfer of triglycerides, cholesterol esters, and phospholipids to newly synthesized apolipoprotein (apo) B. It is therefore essential for lipoprotein synthesis and secretion in the liver and the small intestine. Although several recent experiments have revealed the transcriptional regulation of the MTP gene, little has been revealed to date about hepatocyte nuclear factor-4 (HNF-4)-dependent regulation. We here report that the human MTP gene promoter contains a pair of functional responsive elements for HNF-4 and HNF-1, the latter of which is another target gene of HNF-4. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays provide evidence that endogenous HNF-4 and HNF-1 can bind these elements in chromatin. In Hep G2 cells overexpression of either a dominant negative form of HNF-4 or small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) against HNF-4 dramatically reduces the activities of both the wild type and the HNF-4 site mutant MTP promoter. This suggests that HNF-4 regulates MTP gene expression either directly or indirectly through elevated HNF-1 levels. When Hep G2 cells were cultured with chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), a ligand for the farnesoid X receptor (FXR), mRNA levels for MTP and apo B were reduced because of increased expression of the factor small heterodimer partner (SHP), which factor suppresses HNF-4 activities. Chenodeoxycholic acid, but not a synthetic FXR ligand, attenuated expression of HNF-4, bringing about a further suppression of MTP gene expression. Over time the intracellular MTP protein levels and apo B secretion in the culture medium significantly declined. These results indicate that two nuclear receptors, HNF-4 and FXR, are closely involved in MTP gene expression, and the results provide evidence for a novel interaction between bile acids and lipoprotein metabolism.

In this study we analyzed functions of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters involved in sterol transport from Caco-2 cells. Treatment with a synthetic liver x receptor ligand elevated both mRNA and protein levels of ABCG5, G8, and ABCA1. The ligand stimulated cholesterol efflux, suggesting that ABC transporters are involved in it. To identify the acceptors of cholesterol, potential molecules such as apolipoprotein A-I, glycocholic acid, phosphatidylcholine, and bile acid micelles were added to the medium. Apo A-I, a known acceptor of cholesterol transported by ABCA1, elevated cholesterol efflux on the basal side, whereas the others raised cholesterol efflux on the apical side. Moreover, bile acid micelles preferentially augmented plant sterol efflux rather than cholesterol. Finally, in HEK293 cells stably expressing ABCG5/G8, bile acid micelle-mediated sterol efflux was significantly accelerated. These results indicate that ABCG5/G8, unlike ABCA1, together with bile acids should participate in sterol efflux on the apical surface of Caco-2 cells.

The effects of octanoate, a medium-chain fatty acid, on very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) secretion in primary cultures of chicken hepatocytes were compared with those of palmitate. Palmitate added to the incubation media at concentrations up to 0.36 mM increased intracellular triacylglycerol (TG) accumulation and VLDL-TG secretion in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas the addition of octanoate alone (0.21–0.6 mM) did not change these parameters. VLDL-TG secretion from hepatocytes cultured in media to which 0.6 or 1.0 mM octanoate had been added in the presence of 0.21 mM palmitate was significantly lower than that obtained under control incubation conditions (0.21 mM palmitate only). The addition of 1.0 mM octanoate to the incubation media with or without 0.21 mM palmitate decreased VLDL apolipoprotein B (apoB) secretion. These results demonstrate that the addition of octanoate to primary cultures of chicken hepatocytes reduces VLDL secretion in respect of both TG and apoB secretion. It is suggested that medium-chain fatty acids are a factor modulating VLDL secretion, which plays a key role in fat deposition in chickens.