Project description:This study utilized methylome data to comprehensively analyze the epigenetic landscape across five tissues (heart, liver, kidney, back fat, and loin) of minipigs. As the demand for organ transplantation continues to rise, xenotransplantation has gained significant attention as a promising solution to address the critical shortage of organ donors. Minipigs are considered a highly promising animal model for xenotransplantation research due to their remarkable physiological and anatomical similarities to humans. To evaluate the potential of minipigs, this study identified tissue-specific methylation patterns and differentially methylated regions (DMRs) related to body size, offering an in-depth exploration of their epigenetic characteristics. The findings revealed that tissue-specific methylation markers, such as those associated with MYH7B in the heart and ITIH4 in the liver, play pivotal roles in physiological and pathological processes. Additionally, DMRs associated with body size, such as those linked to DES in the heart and NRAP in the loin, provided valuable insights into the relationship between organ size and functionality. Notably, the methylation patterns of immune-related regions, such as those associated with IFI30, NCK2, NFKB1, and SOS2, demonstrated that minipigs exhibit a greater similarity to humans than to conventional pigs, highlighting their potential as an indispensable model for xenotransplantation and biomedical research.
Project description:Genetic and genomic research has greatly advanced our understanding of heart disease; yet a comprehensive map of the protein landscape of living human hearts is still lacking. Here we set out to identify the molecular basis of functional differences between human cardiac chambers by comprehensive protein expression quantification from samples collected in vivo by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Cardiac biopsies of right atria (RA), left atria (LA) and left ventricle (LV) were obtained from seven humans undergoing open chest surgery and analyzed by high-resolution mass spectrometry. We identify hundreds of proteins with a chamber specific expression pattern, supporting the different functional roles of the cardiac chambers, enabling identification of chamber specific drug targets, and offering novel links between genomic data and the mechanisms of disease.
Project description:Quantitative proteomics of human heart samples collected in vivo reveal the remodeled protein landscape of dilated left atrium without atrial fibrillation.
Project description:G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) has emerged as a key regulator of cardiac function and myocardial structure. Cardiac GRK2 is increased in heart failure and ischemia in humans, whereas genetic inhibition of GRK2 is cardioprotective in animal models of these pathologies. However, the mechanistic basis underlying these effects are not fully understood. We have used adult GRK2 hemizygous mice (GRK2+/-) as a model to assess the effects of a sustained systemic inhibition of GRK2 in heart tissue with age. We used microarrays to determine the global programme of gene expression underlying cardioprotection in GRK2 hemizygous mice. 9 month-old mice hearts were collected for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.
Project description:G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) has emerged as a key regulator of cardiac function and myocardial structure. Cardiac GRK2 is increased in heart failure and ischemia in humans, whereas genetic inhibition of GRK2 is cardioprotective in animal models of these pathologies. However, the mechanistic basis underlying these effects are not fully understood. We have used adult GRK2 hemizygous mice (GRK2+/-) as a model to assess the effects of a sustained systemic inhibition of GRK2 in heart tissue with age. We used microarrays to determine the global programme of gene expression underlying cardioprotection in GRK2 hemizygous mice with age. 9 month-old and 4 month-old mice hearts were collected for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.
Project description:G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) has emerged as a key regulator of cardiac function and myocardial structure. Cardiac GRK2 is increased in heart failure and ischemia in humans, whereas genetic inhibition of GRK2 is cardioprotective in animal models of these pathologies. However, the mechanistic basis underlying these effects are not fully understood. We have used adult GRK2 hemizygous mice (GRK2+/-) as a model to assess the effects of a sustained systemic inhibition of GRK2 in heart tissue with age. We used microarrays to determine the global programme of gene expression underlying cardioprotection in GRK2 hemizygous mice. 4 month-old mice hearts were collected for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.
Project description:Alternative splicing is an important process that contributes to highly diverse transcripts and protein products, which can affect the development of disease in various organisms. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) represents one of the greatest global threats to humans, particularly acute myocardial infarction (MI) and subsequent ischemic reperfusion (IR) injury, which involve complex transcriptomic changes in heart tissues associated with metabolic reshaping and immunological response. In this study, we used a newly developed ONT full-length transcriptomic approach and performed transcript-resolved differential expression profiling in murine models of MI and IR. We built an analytical pipeline to reliably identify and quantify alternative splicing products (isoforms), expanding on the currently available catalog of isoforms described in mice. The updated alternative splicing landscape included transcripts, genes, and pathways that were differentially regulated during IR and MI. Our study establishes a pipeline to profile highly diverse isoforms using state-of-the-art long-read sequencing, builds a landscape of alternative splicing in the mouse heart during MI and IR.
Project description:The sinus node is a collection of highly specialized cells that constitute the natural pacemaker activity of our heart. The protein expression landscape of the sinus node differs from the surrounding cardiac tissue, although it is primarily comprised of myocytes and fibroblasts like the rest of the cardiac tissue, endowing it with its unique ability to regulate heart rate. Here we performed quantitative proteomics experiments to profile protein expression in the pacemaker of the heart, and compared it to protein expression in the neighbouring atrial muscle. In summary, the quantitative proteomics data presented here offer a highly detailed insight into the unique composition of the pacemaker of our heart.
Project description:G protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) has emerged as a key regulator of cardiac function and myocardial structure. Cardiac GRK2 is increased in heart failure and ischemia in humans, whereas genetic inhibition of GRK2 is cardioprotective in animal models of these pathologies. However, the mechanistic basis underlying these effects are not fully understood. We have used adult GRK2 hemizygous mice (GRK2+/-) as a model to assess the effects of a sustained systemic inhibition of GRK2 in heart tissue with age. We used microarrays to determine the global programme of gene expression underlying cardioprotection with age in GRK2 hemizygous mice in comparation with their wild-type littermates. 9 month-old and 4 month-old mice hearts were collected for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.