scholarly journals Molecular mechanisms of cardiomyocyte aging

2011 ◽  
Vol 121 (8) ◽  
pp. 315-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Sheydina ◽  
Daniel R. Riordon ◽  
Kenneth R. Boheler

Western societies are rapidly aging, and cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death. In fact, age and cardiovascular diseases are positively correlated, and disease syndromes affecting the heart reach epidemic proportions in the very old. Genetic variations and molecular adaptations are the primary contributors to the onset of cardiovascular disease; however, molecular links between age and heart syndromes are complex and involve much more than the passage of time. Changes in CM (cardiomyocyte) structure and function occur with age and precede anatomical and functional changes in the heart. Concomitant with or preceding some of these cellular changes are alterations in gene expression often linked to signalling cascades that may lead to a loss of CMs or reduced function. An understanding of the intrinsic molecular mechanisms underlying these cascading events has been instrumental in forming our current understanding of how CMs adapt with age. In the present review, we describe the molecular mechanisms underlying CM aging and how these changes may contribute to the development of cardiovascular diseases.

2014 ◽  
Vol 459 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Y. Chuang ◽  
Georg Degendorfer ◽  
Astrid Hammer ◽  
John M. Whitelock ◽  
Ernst Malle ◽  
...  

The extracellular matrix determines arterial wall structure and modulates the properties of associated cells. We show that the inflammation-associated oxidant peroxynitrous acid modifies human endothelial cell matrix, modulates gene expression and decreases cell adhesion, a key event in cardiovascular disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guillermo Palou-Márquez ◽  
Isaac Subirana ◽  
Lara Nonell ◽  
Alba Fernández-Sanlés ◽  
Roberto Elosua

Abstract Background The integration of different layers of omics information is an opportunity to tackle the complexity of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and to identify new predictive biomarkers and potential therapeutic targets. Our aim was to integrate DNA methylation and gene expression data in an effort to identify biomarkers related to cardiovascular disease risk in a community-based population. We accessed data from the Framingham Offspring Study, a cohort study with data on DNA methylation (Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip; Illumina) and gene expression (Human Exon 1.0 ST Array; Affymetrix). Using the MOFA2 R package, we integrated these data to identify biomarkers related to the risk of presenting a cardiovascular event. Results Four independent latent factors (9, 19, 21—only in women—and 27), driven by DNA methylation, were associated with cardiovascular disease independently of classical risk factors and cell-type counts. In a sensitivity analysis, we also identified factor 21 as associated with CVD in women. Factors 9, 21 and 27 were also associated with coronary heart disease risk. Moreover, in a replication effort in an independent study three of the genes included in factor 27 were also present in a factor identified to be associated with myocardial infarction (CDC42BPB, MAN2A2 and RPTOR). Factor 9 was related to age and cell-type proportions; factor 19 was related to age and B cells count; factor 21 pointed to human immunodeficiency virus infection-related pathways and inflammation; and factor 27 was related to lifestyle factors such as alcohol consumption, smoking and body mass index. Inclusion of factor 21 (only in women) improved the discriminative and reclassification capacity of the Framingham classical risk function and factor 27 improved its discrimination. Conclusions Unsupervised multi-omics data integration methods have the potential to provide insights into the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. We identified four independent factors (one only in women) pointing to inflammation, endothelium homeostasis, visceral fat, cardiac remodeling and lifestyles as key players in the determination of cardiovascular risk. Moreover, two of these factors improved the predictive capacity of a classical risk function.


Hypertension ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 78 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline M De Souza ◽  
Jonathas Almeida ◽  
Nataliia Shults ◽  
Hong Ji ◽  
Kathryn Sandberg

Severe caloric restriction (sCR) increases the risk for acute cardiovascular disease. Less understood are the long-term effects on cardiovascular disease risk after the sCR period has ended. We investigated the effects of sCR on heart structure and function months after refeeding (sCR-Refed). Female Fischer rats (3-months-old) were maintained on (CT) ad libitum or a 60% caloric restricted diet for 2 weeks. Thereafter, all rats received ad libitum chow for 3 months and they were analyzed by precision ultrasound to assess their heart function. After imaging, the animals were sacrificed and the hearts were subjected to ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) using a Langendorff preparation. After 2 weeks of sCR, rats lost 15% of their initial body weight (BW) [% (100*(Final-Initial/Initial)): CT, 1.5±0.8 vs sCR, -15.4±1.1; p<0.001;n=8]. After 3 months of refeeding, there was no detectable difference in BW between CT and sFR-Refed groups. Isolated hearts from the sCR-Refed rats exhibited worse myocardial pathology after I/R compared to CT rats. The parallel orientation of myofibers and striations normally present in cardiomyocytes was lost in sCR-Refed rats. Further analysis revealed uneven blood-filling of the microcirculatory vessels and prominent interstitial edema of the myocardium. Hearts from sCR-Refed rats had more atrophied cardiomyocytes than CT [Atrophied/Total (%): CT, 0.2±0.1 vs sCR-Refed, 50.6±1.1; p<0.001; n=5]. The number of arrhythmic events during a 30 min ischemic interval in isolated hearts doubled after 2 weeks on the sCR diet ( data not shown ) and remained doubled 3 months later [Arrhythmias (% of time): CT, 34±8 vs sCR-Refed, 68±9; p=0.02; n=8]. Ultrasound imaging showed no difference in stroke volume, coronary perfusion pressure and left ventricular mass. However, the thickness of the left ventricular posterior wall was significantly reduced in sCR-Refed rats [(mm): CT, 2.55 ±0.03 vs sCR-Refed, 2.10±0.04; p=0.002; n=4]. These findings indicate heart structure and function remained damaged months after the sCR period ended and BW was restored. These studies have adverse cardiovascular risk implications for who are subjected either voluntarily (crash diets) or involuntarily (very low food security) to periods of inadequate caloric intake.


2004 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhua Zhang ◽  
Amy Moseley ◽  
Anil G. Jegga ◽  
Ashima Gupta ◽  
David P. Witte ◽  
...  

To understand the commitment of the genome to nervous system differentiation and function, we sought to compare nervous system gene expression to that of a wide variety of other tissues by gene expression database construction and mining. Gene expression profiles of 10 different adult nervous tissues were compared with that of 72 other tissues. Using ANOVA, we identified 1,361 genes whose expression was higher in the nervous system than other organs and, separately, 600 genes whose expression was at least threefold higher in one or more regions of the nervous system compared with their median expression across all organs. Of the 600 genes, 381 overlapped with the 1,361-gene list. Limited in situ gene expression analysis confirmed that identified genes did represent nervous system-enriched gene expression, and we therefore sought to evaluate the validity and significance of these top-ranked nervous system genes using known gene literature and gene ontology categorization criteria. Diverse functional categories were present in the 381 genes, including genes involved in intracellular signaling, cytoskeleton structure and function, enzymes, RNA metabolism and transcription, membrane proteins, as well as cell differentiation, death, proliferation, and division. We searched existing public sites and identified 110 known genes related to mental retardation, neurological disease, and neurodegeneration. Twenty-one of the 381 genes were within the 110-gene list, compared with a random expectation of 5. This suggests that the 381 genes provide a candidate set for further analyses in neurological and psychiatric disease studies and that as a field, we are as yet, far from a large-scale understanding of the genes that are critical for nervous system structure and function. Together, our data indicate the power of profiling an individual biologic system in a multisystem context to gain insight into the genomic basis of its structure and function.


1991 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 2650-2655 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. McKenzie ◽  
L. S. Goodman ◽  
C. Nath ◽  
B. Davidson ◽  
G. O. Matheson ◽  
...  

Six male Quechua Indians (34.0 +/- 1.1 yr, 159.5 +/- 2.1 cm, 60.5 +/- 1.6 kg), life-long residents of La Raya, Peru (4,350-m altitude with an average barometric pressure of 460 Torr), were studied using noninvasive methods to determine the structural and functional changes in the cardiovascular system in response to a 6-wk deacclimation period at sea level. Cardiac output, stroke volume, and left ventricular ejection fractions were determined using radionuclide angiographic techniques at rest and during exercise on a cycle ergometer at 40, 60, and 90% of a previously determined maximal O2 consumption. Subjects at rest were subjected to two-dimensional and M-mode echocardiograms and a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram. Hemoglobin and hematocrit were measured on arrival at sea level by use of a Coulter Stacker S+ analyzer. After a 6-wk deacclimation period, all variables were remeasured using the identical methodology. Hemoglobin values decreased significantly over the deacclimation period (15.7 +/- 1.1 to 13.5 +/- 1.2 g/dl; P less than 0.01). The results indicate that the removal of these high-altitude-adapted natives from 4,300 m to sea level for 6 wk results in only minor changes to the cardiac structure and function as measured by these noninvasive techniques.


2017 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria C. Davis ◽  
Christopher A. Kesthely ◽  
Emily A. Franklin ◽  
Shawn R. MacLellan

Transcription is the first and most heavily regulated step in gene expression. Sigma (σ) factors are general transcription factors that reversibly bind RNA polymerase (RNAP) and mediate transcription of all genes in bacteria. σ Factors play 3 major roles in the RNA synthesis initiation process: they (i) target RNAP holoenzyme to specific promoters, (ii) melt a region of double-stranded promoter DNA and stabilize it as a single-stranded open complex, and (iii) interact with other DNA-binding transcription factors to contribute complexity to gene expression regulation schemes. Recent structural studies have demonstrated that when σ factors bind promoter DNA, they capture 1 or more nucleotides that are flipped out of the helical DNA stack and this stabilizes the promoter open-complex intermediate that is required for the initiation of RNA synthesis. This review describes the structure and function of the σ70 family of σ proteins and the essential roles they play in the transcription process.


Author(s):  
Nicole J. Curtis ◽  
Constance J. Jeffery

RNA binding proteins play key roles in many aspects of RNA metabolism and function, including splicing, transport, translation, localization, stability and degradation. Within the past few years, proteomics studies have identified dozens of enzymes in intermediary metabolism that bind to RNA. The wide occurrence and conservation of RNA binding ability across distant branches of the evolutionary tree suggest that these moonlighting enzymes are involved in connections between intermediary metabolism and gene expression that comprise far more extensive regulatory networks than previously thought. There are many outstanding questions about the molecular structures and mechanisms involved, the effects of these interactions on enzyme and RNA functions, and the factors that regulate the interactions. The effects on RNA function are likely to be wider than regulation of translation, and some enzyme–RNA interactions have been found to regulate the enzyme's catalytic activity. Several enzyme–RNA interactions have been shown to be affected by cellular factors that change under different intracellular and environmental conditions, including concentrations of substrates and cofactors. Understanding the molecular mechanisms involved in the interactions between the enzymes and RNA, the factors involved in regulation, and the effects of the enzyme–RNA interactions on both the enzyme and RNA functions will lead to a better understanding of the role of the many newly identified enzyme–RNA interactions in connecting intermediary metabolism and gene expression.


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