scholarly journals Effects of Spaceflight and Simulated Microgravity on YAP1 Expression in Cardiovascular Progenitors: Implications for Cell-Based Repair

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 2742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Camberos ◽  
Jonathan Baio ◽  
Leonard Bailey ◽  
Nahidh Hasaniya ◽  
Larry V. Lopez ◽  
...  

Spaceflight alters many processes of the human body including cardiac function and cardiac progenitor cell behavior. The mechanism behind these changes remains largely unknown; however, simulated microgravity devices are making it easier for researchers to study the effects of microgravity. To study the changes that take place in cardiac progenitor cells in microgravity environments, adult cardiac progenitor cells were cultured aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as well as on a clinostat and examined for changes in Hippo signaling, a pathway known to regulate cardiac development. Cells cultured under microgravity conditions, spaceflight-induced or simulated, displayed upregulation of downstream genes involved in the Hippo pathway such as YAP1 and SOD2. YAP1 is known to play a role in cardiac regeneration which led us to investigate YAP1 expression in a sheep model of cardiovascular repair. Additionally, to mimic the effects of microgravity, drug treatment was used to induce Hippo related genes as well as a regulator of the Hippo pathway, miRNA-302a. These studies provide insight into the changes that occur in space and how the effects of these changes relate to cardiac regeneration studies.

Author(s):  
Dorothee Bornhorst ◽  
Salim Abdelilah-Seyfried

The heart is comprised of multiple tissues that contribute to its physiological functions. During development, the growth of myocardium and endocardium is coupled and morphogenetic processes within these separate tissue layers are integrated. Here, we discuss the roles of mechanosensitive Hippo signaling in growth and morphogenesis of the zebrafish heart. Hippo signaling is involved in defining numbers of cardiac progenitor cells derived from the secondary heart field, in restricting the growth of the epicardium, and in guiding trabeculation and outflow tract formation. Recent work also shows that myocardial chamber dimensions serve as a blueprint for Hippo signaling-dependent growth of the endocardium. Evidently, Hippo pathway components act at the crossroads of various signaling pathways involved in embryonic zebrafish heart development. Elucidating how biomechanical Hippo signaling guides heart morphogenesis has direct implications for our understanding of cardiac physiology and pathophysiology.


2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (47) ◽  
pp. 16166-16179
Author(s):  
Thao Tran ◽  
Jaba Mitra ◽  
Taekjip Ha ◽  
Jennifer M. Kavran

The Hippo pathway plays an important role in developmental biology, mediating organ size by controlling cell proliferation through the activity of a core kinase cassette. Multiple upstream events activate the pathway, but how each controls this core kinase cassette is not fully understood. Activation of the core kinase cassette begins with phosphorylation of the kinase MST1/2 (also known as STK3/4). Here, using a combination of in vitro biochemistry and cell-based assays, including chemically induced dimerization and single-molecule pulldown, we revealed that increasing the proximity of adjacent kinase domains, rather than formation of a specific protein assembly, is sufficient to trigger autophosphorylation. We validate this mechanism in cells and demonstrate that multiple events associated with the active pathway, including SARAH domain–mediated homodimerization, membrane recruitment, and complex formation with the effector protein SAV1, each increase the kinase domain proximity and autophosphorylation of MST2. Together, our results reveal that multiple and distinct upstream signals each utilize the same common molecular mechanism to stimulate MST2 autophosphorylation. This mechanism is likely conserved among MST2 homologs. Our work also highlights potential differences in Hippo signal propagation between each activating event owing to differences in the dynamics and regulation of each protein ensemble that triggers MST2 autophosphorylation and possible redundancy in activation.


2011 ◽  
Vol 193 (4) ◽  
pp. 633-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra Habbig ◽  
Malte P. Bartram ◽  
Roman U. Müller ◽  
Ricarda Schwarz ◽  
Nikolaos Andriopoulos ◽  
...  

The conserved Hippo signaling pathway regulates organ size in Drosophila melanogaster and mammals and has an essential role in tumor suppression and the control of cell proliferation. Recent studies identified activators of Hippo signaling, but antagonists of the pathway have remained largely elusive. In this paper, we show that NPHP4, a known cilia-associated protein that is mutated in the severe degenerative renal disease nephronophthisis, acts as a potent negative regulator of mammalian Hippo signaling. NPHP4 directly interacted with the kinase Lats1 and inhibited Lats1-mediated phosphorylation of the Yes-associated protein (YAP) and TAZ (transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding domain), leading to derepression of these protooncogenic transcriptional regulators. Moreover, NPHP4 induced release from 14-3-3 binding and nuclear translocation of YAP and TAZ, promoting TEA domain (TEAD)/TAZ/YAP-dependent transcriptional activity. Consistent with these data, knockdown of NPHP4 negatively affected cellular proliferation and TEAD/TAZ activity, essentially phenocopying loss of TAZ function. These data identify NPHP4 as a negative regulator of the Hippo pathway and suggest that NPHP4 regulates cell proliferation through its effects on Hippo signaling.


Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1416
Author(s):  
Qiuping Liu ◽  
Xiaomeng Liu ◽  
Guanbin Song

The Hippo pathway is pervasively activated and has been well recognized to play critical roles in human cancer. The deregulation of Hippo signaling involved in cancer development, progression, and resistance to cancer treatment have been confirmed in several human cancers. Its biological significance and deregulation in cancer have drawn increasing interest in the past few years. A fundamental understanding of the complexity of the Hippo pathway in cancer is crucial for improving future clinical interventions and therapy for cancers. In this review, we try to clarify the complex regulation and function of the Hippo signaling network in cancer development, including its role in signal transduction, metabolic regulation, and tumor development, as well as tumor therapies targeting the Hippo pathway.


Cancers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zaid Taha ◽  
Helena Janse van Rensburg ◽  
Xiaolong Yang

Since its discovery, the Hippo pathway has emerged as a central signaling network in mammalian cells. Canonical signaling through the Hippo pathway core components (MST1/2, LATS1/2, YAP and TAZ) is important for development and tissue homeostasis while aberrant signaling through the Hippo pathway has been implicated in multiple pathologies, including cancer. Recent studies have uncovered new roles for the Hippo pathway in immunology. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms by which Hippo signaling in pathogen-infected or neoplastic cells affects the activities of immune cells that respond to these threats. We further discuss how Hippo signaling functions as part of an immune response. Finally, we review how immune cell-intrinsic Hippo signaling modulates the development/function of leukocytes and propose directions for future work.


Circulation ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 132 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantinos E Hatzistergos ◽  
Lauro M Takeuchi ◽  
Wayne Balkan ◽  
Joshua M Hare

Introduction: Space flight has profound negative impacts on cardiac health. Whereas microgravity appears to benefit cardiomyogenesis, long-duration space flight results in increased risk for cardiomyopathy. Here, we focused on cKit+ cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) to elucidate the effects of microgravity in the heart. Hypothesis: Microgravity inhibits migration, proliferation and differentiation of CPCs. Methods: Adult heart tissue or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from cKitCreErt2;IRG mice were grown for up to 24- (n=5) or 21-days (n=6), respectively, in static (SC) or a rotary cell-culture system (RCCS, simulated microgravity) in the presence of 4-OH tamoxifen to irreversibly label CPCs with EGFP. Expression of EGFP was quantified at selected time points in heart explants and iPSC-derived beating embryoid bodies (EBs). In addition, microarray analysis was performed on EBs at selected time points (n=11). Results: We found that, although explants in SC consistently produced EGFP+ CPCs with full capacity to proliferate and migrate, expression of EGFP was abolished in RCCS (p<0.05). Similarly, when day-4 EBs (formed via the hanging-drop method) were transferred to RCCS, they generated significantly fewer spontaneously beating EBs compared to EBs grown in SC (p=0.0005), whereas expression of EGFP in beating EBs was downregulated ~10-fold (p=0.01). Microarray analysis of EBs illustrated that the effect of CPs was accompanied by downregulation of genes related to migration, differentiation and development of the cardiac neural crest cell (CNC) lineage (i.e. Pax3, semaphorins, endothelin) without affecting the expression of cardiac mesoderm-related genes (i.e. GATA4, NKX2-5, MEF2C). Intriguingly, the effect of RCCS in CNC-related genes could be partly rescued upon transfer of EBs from RCCS to SC. Conclusions: cKit expression and CNC pathways are inhibited under simulated microgravity but can be reversed by returning to normal gravity. Our findings provide novel insights into the role of gravity in cardiomyogenesis and suggest that CPCs should be targeted therapeutically for the prevention and treatment of microgravity-induced cardiomyopathy.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuka Morikawa ◽  
James F Martin

Regeneration of the mammalian heart is limited in adults. In rodents, endogenous regenerative capacity exists during development and in neonate but is rapidly repressed after birth. We are elucidating the mechanisms responsible for regenerative repression and applying this knowledge to reactivate cardiac regeneration in adult hearts. We have previously shown that the Hippo pathway is responsive for regenerative repression, however, the molecular and cellular mechanism responsible remain unclear. The Hippo pathway controls heart size by repressing myocardial cell proliferation during development. By deleting Salv, a modulator of Hippo pathway, we found myocardial damage in the postnatal and adult heart was repaired anatomically and functionally. This heart repair occurred primarily through proliferation of preexisting cardiomyocyte. We observed that cardiomyocytes in border the zone protrude and fill the damage area during Hippo-mediated cardiac regeneration and thus preventing formation of fibrotic scars. The molecular analysis identified components of dystrophin glycoprotein complex (DGC) as downstream targets of Hippo pathway. The DGC anchors the cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix and is involved in cell migration. The studies using the muscular dystrophy mouse model, mdx, reveals that DGC is required for endogenous cardiac regeneration and cardiomyocyte protrusion. Taken together, we show that cardiomyocyte protrusion is an essential process for cardiac regeneration and the Hippo pathway regulates it through regulating DGC. Our studies provide insights into the mechanisms leading to repair of damaged hearts from endogenous cardiomyocytes and novel information into DGC function.


2016 ◽  
Vol 119 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Jai Cho ◽  
Choon-Soo Lee ◽  
Jin-Woo Lee ◽  
Jung-Kyu Han ◽  
Han-Mo Yang ◽  
...  

Backgrounds: The identification of a lineage-specific marker plays a pivotal role in understanding developmental process and is utilized to isolate a certain cell type with high purity for the therapeutic purpose. We here report a new cardiac-specific marker, and demonstrate its functional significance in the cardiac development. Methods and Results: When mouse pluripotent stem cells (ES and iPS cells) were stimulated with BMP4, Activin A, bFGF and VEGF, they differentiated into cardiac cells. To screen cell-surface expressing molecules on cardiac progenitor cells compared to undifferentiated mouse iPS and ES cells, we isolated Flk1+/PDGFRa+ cells at differentiation day 4 and performed microarray analysis. Among candidates, we identified a new G protein-coupled receptor, Latrophilin-2 (LPHN2) whose signaling pathway and its effect on cardiac differentiation is unknown. In sorting experiments under cardiac differentiation condition, LPHN2+ cells derived from pluripotent stem cells strongly expressed cardiac-related genes (Mesp1, Nkx2.5, aMHC and cTnT) and exclusively gave rise to beating cardiomyocytes, as compared with LPHN2- cells. LPHN2-/- mice revealed embryonically lethal and huge defects in cardiac development. Interestingly, LPHN2+/- heterozygotes were alive and fertile. For the purpose of cardiac regeneration, we transplanted iPS-derived LPHN2+ cells into the infarcted heart of adult mice. LPHN2+ cells differentiated into cardiomyocytes, and systolic function of left ventricle was improved and infarct size was reduced. We confirmed LPHN2 expression on human iPS and ES cell-derived cardiac progenitor cells and human heart. Conclusions: We demonstrate that LPHN2 is a functionally significant and cell-surface expressing marker for both mouse and human cardiac progenitor and cardiomyocytes. Our findings provide a valuable tool for isolating cardiac lineage cells from pluripotent stem cells and an insight into cardiac development and regeneration.


Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 130 (suppl_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisa Yaniz-Galende ◽  
Luigi Formicola ◽  
Nathalie Mougenot ◽  
Lise Legrand ◽  
Jiqiu Chen ◽  
...  

The myocardium responds to injury by recruiting cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) to the injured tissue to promote cardiac repair. Although different classes of CPCs have been identified, their contribution in physiological and pathological conditions remains unclear. PW1 gene has recently been proposed as a marker of resident adult stem and progenitor cell populations in several adult tissues. Our goal was to characterize and determine the role of PW1+ population in the heart. Here, we employ immunostaining and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis in PW1-reporter mouse to perform qualitative and quantitative analyses of PW1+ population in the heart. We first found that PW1+ cells are mainly located in the epicardium and myocardial interstitium of normal hearts. The average percentage of PW1+ cells, as assessed by FACS, was 1.56±1.41%. A subset of PW1+ cells also co-express other CPC markers such as Sca-1 (52±22%) or PDGFR1α (43±14%). In contrast, a very small proportion of PW1+ cells co-express c-kit (6±5%). To investigate the contribution of PW1+ cells in pathological conditions, we then performed myocardial infarction (MI) by LAD ligation in PW1-reporter mice. We found that MI resulted in a 3-fold increase in the number of PW1+ cells in infarcted mice compared with sham-operated groups, at 1 week post-MI (1.16%±0.47% in sham versus 3.43%±0.82 in MI). This population preferentially localized in the injured myocardium and border area. PW1+ cells were isolated by FACS from the whole infarcted heart from PW1-reporter mice. In vitro differentiation assays reveal that purified PW1+ cells are multipotent and can spontaneously differentiate into smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells and cardiomyocyte-like cells. Taken together, our data identify a novel PW1+ cardiac progenitor population with the potential to undergo differentiation into multiple cardiac lineages, suggesting their involvement in cardiac repair in normal and pathological conditions. The discovery of a novel population of cardiac progenitor cells, augmented following MI and with cardiogenic potential, provides a novel target for therapeutic approaches aimed at improving cardiac regeneration.


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