Wnt/β-catenin signaling regulates cardiac Cx43 in a metabolic substrate-dependent manner.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Both Na_v1.5 and Cx43 are critical for the fast electrical impulse conduction in the myocardium and their reductions create the arrhythmogenic substrate. Wnt/β-catenin signaling is activated in arrhythmogenic myocardium, and although this signaling is known to downregulate cardiac Na_v1.5, its regulation of Cx43 is unclear as conflicting results have been reported. The present study investigated how Wnt/β-catenin signaling regulates Cx43 in rat and human cardiomyocytes and if it is dependent on the sex of the cells or the metabolic substrates.

Methods

Male and female neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) were treated with CHIR-99021 (CHIR) or Wnt3a protein, two different activators of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling, either in a medium rich in

SUBMITTER: Kayyem O 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12519157 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature