Project description:Members of the CUG-BP, Elav-like family (CELF) regulate alternative splicing in the heart. In MHC-CELFdelta transgenic mice, CELF splicing activity is inhibited postnatally in heart muscle via expression of a nuclear dominant negative CELF protein under an a-myosin heavy chain promoter. MHC-CELFdelta mice develop dilated cardiomyopathy characterized by alternative splicing defects, enlarged hearts, and severe contractile dysfunction. In this study, gene expression profiles in the hearts of wild type, high- and low-expressing lines of MHC-CELFdelta mice were compared using microarrays. Gene ontology and pathway analyses identified contraction and calcium signaling as the most affected processes. Network analysis revealed that the serum response factor (SRF) network is highly affected. Downstream targets of SRF were up-regulated in MHC-CELFdelta mice compared to the wild type, suggesting an increase in SRF activity. Although SRF levels remained unchanged, known inhibitors of SRF activity were down-regulated. These results suggest a role for CELF-mediated alternative splicing in the regulation of contractile gene expression, achieved in part through modulating the activity of SRF, a key cardiac transcription factor. Microarray analysis was performed on total RNA extracted from whole hearts of three MHC-CELFdelta-10 and three MHC-CELFdelta-574 females collected at weaning (three weeks old). Three female wild type littermates from each line were used as controls (n = 6 wild type in total).
Project description:Members of the CUG-BP, Elav-like family (CELF) regulate alternative splicing in the heart. In MHC-CELFdelta transgenic mice, CELF splicing activity is inhibited postnatally in heart muscle via expression of a nuclear dominant negative CELF protein under an a-myosin heavy chain promoter. MHC-CELFdelta mice develop dilated cardiomyopathy characterized by alternative splicing defects, enlarged hearts, and severe contractile dysfunction. In this study, gene expression profiles in the hearts of wild type, high- and low-expressing lines of MHC-CELFdelta mice were compared using microarrays. Gene ontology and pathway analyses identified contraction and calcium signaling as the most affected processes. Network analysis revealed that the serum response factor (SRF) network is highly affected. Downstream targets of SRF were up-regulated in MHC-CELFdelta mice compared to the wild type, suggesting an increase in SRF activity. Although SRF levels remained unchanged, known inhibitors of SRF activity were down-regulated. These results suggest a role for CELF-mediated alternative splicing in the regulation of contractile gene expression, achieved in part through modulating the activity of SRF, a key cardiac transcription factor.
Project description:CUG-BP, Elav-like family (CELF) proteins regulate alternative splicing. In MHC-CELFdelta transgenic mice, CELF-mediated alternative splicing is disrupted in heart muscle via expression of a nuclear dominant negative CELF protein under an alpha-myosin heavy chain promoter. MHC-CELFdelta mice develop dilated cardiomyopathy and contractile dysfunction by 3 weeks of age, shortly after the transgene is activated and splicing defects appear. Cardiac function and heart size spontaneously recover with age in a low-expressing (mild) line of MHC-CELFdelta mice despite persistence of dominant negative protein expression and splicing defects, whereas there is no recovery in a higher-expressing (severe) line that also experiences early muscle death and fibrosis. In this study, we explored the basis for this functional recovery by comparing the gene expression profiles in the hearts of low- and high-expressing lines of MHC-CELFdelta mice to those of wild type littermates at 3 weeks (when cardiac dysfunction is maximal) and 24 weeks (when the low-expressing line has recovered) using microarrays. We found that differences in gene expression are greatly reduced in older animals from the low-expressing line, but were exacerbated in the high-expressing line. We did not find evidence of a new compensatory pathway being activated in the low-expressing line with age, and propose that recovery may occur due to developmental stage-specific compatibility of CELF-dependent splice variants with the changing cellular environment of cardiomyocytes. Microarray analysis was performed on total RNA extracted from whole hearts of female mice: three MHC-CELFdelta-10 (high-expressing line) and three MHC-CELFdelta-574 (low-expressing line) were collected at 3 weeks, and five MHC-CELFdelta-10 and five MHC-CELFdelta-574 were collected at 24 weeks. Two wild type mice from each line were collected at each time point (n = 4 total wild type at 3 weeks, and n = 4 total wild type at 24 weeks).
Project description:CUG-BP, Elav-like family (CELF) proteins regulate alternative splicing. In MHC-CELFdelta transgenic mice, CELF-mediated alternative splicing is disrupted in heart muscle via expression of a nuclear dominant negative CELF protein under an alpha-myosin heavy chain promoter. MHC-CELFdelta mice develop dilated cardiomyopathy and contractile dysfunction by 3 weeks of age, shortly after the transgene is activated and splicing defects appear. Cardiac function and heart size spontaneously recover with age in a low-expressing (mild) line of MHC-CELFdelta mice despite persistence of dominant negative protein expression and splicing defects, whereas there is no recovery in a higher-expressing (severe) line that also experiences early muscle death and fibrosis. In this study, we explored the basis for this functional recovery by comparing the gene expression profiles in the hearts of low- and high-expressing lines of MHC-CELFdelta mice to those of wild type littermates at 3 weeks (when cardiac dysfunction is maximal) and 24 weeks (when the low-expressing line has recovered) using microarrays. We found that differences in gene expression are greatly reduced in older animals from the low-expressing line, but were exacerbated in the high-expressing line. We did not find evidence of a new compensatory pathway being activated in the low-expressing line with age, and propose that recovery may occur due to developmental stage-specific compatibility of CELF-dependent splice variants with the changing cellular environment of cardiomyocytes.
Project description:Presence of ectopic lipid droplets (LDs) in cardiac muscle is associated to lipotoxicity and tissue dysfunction. However, presence of LDs in heart is also observed in physiological conditions, such as at times when cellular energy needs and energy production from mitochondria fatty acid (FA) ?-oxidation are high (fasting). This suggests that development of tissue lipotoxicity and dysfunction is not simply due to the presence of LDs in cardiac muscle but due at least in part to alterations in LD function. To examine the function of cardiac LDs, we obtained transgenic mice with heart-specific plin5 over-expression (MHC-plin5), a member of the perilipin protein family. Hearts from MHC-plin5 mice expressed at least 4-fold higher levels of plin5 and exhibit a 3.5- fold increase in triglyceride content versus non-transgenic littermate. Chronic cardiac excess of LDs was found to result in mild heart dysfunction with decreased expression of PPAR? target genes, decreased mitochondria function and left ventricular concentric hypertrophia. Lack of more severe heart function complications may have been prevented by a strong increased expression of oxidative induced genes via NF-E2-related factor 2 anti-oxidative pathway. Perilipin 5 regulates the formation and stabilization of cardiac LDs, and promotes cardiac steatosis without major heart function impairment. Hearts from Four MCH-Plin5 mice and four control mice at the age of 12 weeks were harvested
Project description:We previously reported that a synthetic Nod1 ligand, FK565, induced coronary arteritis in mice similar to Kawasaki disease. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this site-specific inflammation have remained elusive. In this study, we found that CD11c+MHC class II+ cells accumulated in the heart of FK565-treated mice prior to arteritis development. We used microarray analysis to detail gene expression of CD11c+MHC class II+ cells.
Project description:Presence of ectopic lipid droplets (LDs) in cardiac muscle is associated to lipotoxicity and tissue dysfunction. However, presence of LDs in heart is also observed in physiological conditions, such as at times when cellular energy needs and energy production from mitochondria fatty acid (FA) β-oxidation are high (fasting). This suggests that development of tissue lipotoxicity and dysfunction is not simply due to the presence of LDs in cardiac muscle but due at least in part to alterations in LD function. To examine the function of cardiac LDs, we obtained transgenic mice with heart-specific plin5 over-expression (MHC-plin5), a member of the perilipin protein family. Hearts from MHC-plin5 mice expressed at least 4-fold higher levels of plin5 and exhibit a 3.5- fold increase in triglyceride content versus non-transgenic littermate. Chronic cardiac excess of LDs was found to result in mild heart dysfunction with decreased expression of PPARα target genes, decreased mitochondria function and left ventricular concentric hypertrophia. Lack of more severe heart function complications may have been prevented by a strong increased expression of oxidative induced genes via NF-E2-related factor 2 anti-oxidative pathway. Perilipin 5 regulates the formation and stabilization of cardiac LDs, and promotes cardiac steatosis without major heart function impairment.
Project description:We previously reported that a synthetic Nod1 ligand, FK565, induced coronary arteritis in mice similar to Kawasaki disease. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this site-specific inflammation have remained elusive. In this study, we found that CD11c+MHC class II+ cells accumulated in the heart of FK565-treated mice prior to arteritis development. We used microarray analysis to detail gene expression of CD11c+MHC class II+ cells. To obtain gene expression profile of CD11c+MHC class II+ cells, we isolated these cells from hearts of FK565-treated mice. Briefly, female mice at 8weeks age were administered 500 μg of FK565 subcutaneously at day 0 and day 3. At day6, murine hearts were removed and digested with collagenase. CD11c+MHC II+ cells were sorted as PI–CD45+Ly6G–NK1.1–CD11b+CD11c+MHC II+ using FACS Aria cell sorter (BD Biosciences). Sorted cells were subjected to RNA preparation. Two independent replicates from ten mice were made.