Project description:RATIONALE:Notch signaling programs cardiac conduction during development, and in the adult ventricle, injury-induced Notch reactivation initiates global transcriptional and epigenetic changes. OBJECTIVE:To determine whether Notch reactivation may stably alter atrial ion channel gene expression and arrhythmia inducibility. METHODS AND RESULTS:To model an injury response and determine the effects of Notch signaling on atrial electrophysiology, we transiently activate Notch signaling within adult myocardium using a doxycycline-inducible genetic system (inducible Notch intracellular domain [iNICD]). Significant heart rate slowing and frequent sinus pauses are observed in iNICD mice when compared with controls. iNICD mice have structurally normal atria and preserved sinus node architecture, but expression of key transcriptional regulators of sinus node and atrial conduction, including Nkx2-5 (NK2 homeobox 5), Tbx3, and Tbx5 are dysregulated. To determine whether the induced electrical changes are stable, we transiently activated Notch followed by a prolonged washout period and observed that, in addition to decreased heart rate, atrial conduction velocity is persistently slower than control. Consistent with conduction slowing, genes encoding molecular determinants of atrial conduction velocity, including Scn5a (Nav1.5) and Gja5 (connexin 40), are persistently downregulated long after a transient Notch pulse. Consistent with the reduction in Scn5a transcript, Notch induces global changes in the atrial action potential, including a reduced dVm/dtmax. In addition, programmed electrical stimulation near the murine pulmonary vein demonstrates increased susceptibility to atrial arrhythmias in mice where Notch has been transiently activated. Taken together, these results suggest that transient Notch activation persistently alters ion channel gene expression and atrial electrophysiology and predisposes to an arrhythmogenic substrate. CONCLUSIONS:Our data provide evidence that Notch signaling regulates transcription factor and ion channel gene expression within adult atrial myocardium. Notch reactivation induces electrical changes, resulting in sinus bradycardia, sinus pauses, and a susceptibility to atrial arrhythmias, which contribute to a phenotype resembling sick sinus syndrome.

Project description:Using standardized, semipurified diets is a crucial factor for reproducibility of experimental nutritional studies. For the purpose of comparability and integration of research, two European consortia, Mitofood and BIOCLAIMS, proposed an AIN-93-based standard reference diet, the standardized BIOCLAIMS low-fat diet (LFD) as well as a high-fat diet (HFD). In order to evaluate the BIOCLAIMS LFD and HFD, we performed short-term (5 days) and long-term (12 weeks) feeding experiments using male C57BL/6 mice. The HFD has the same composition as the LFD except the fat content is increased to 40% energy in exchange for carbohydrates. Both diets were accepted by the animals and proof of principle was given that the BIOCLAIMS HFD increases body weight and body fat and affects glucose homeostasis. Short-term feeding trials (5 days) were performed in order to identify metabolic and molecular parameters which can serve as acute predictors for metabolic disorders due to high-fat diet-induced obesity. We analyzed gene expression in gonadal white adipose tissue of short- and long-term fed animals with whole genome microarrays. The BIOCLAIMS HFD strongly influenced gene expression in white adipose tissue after short- and long-term intervention. A total number of 973 and 4678 transcripts were significantly different between both diets after 5 days feeding and 12 weeks feeding, respectively. A total number of 764 transcripts encoding 549 genes were significantly differentially regulated between LF and HF animals after 12 weeks feeding as well as after 5 days feeding. Of these 549 overlapping genes, a substantial number (434 genes) were expressed at a lower level and 115 genes were expressed at a higher level in the HF mice compared to the LF mice. Without exception, all genes were regulated equally. Pathway analysis revealed a prominent role for genes involved in lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation. This was confirmed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR. The high predictive value of gene expression changes in our short-term study compared to long-term high fat feeding is a promising step to get well-defined, early biomarkers that could shorten animal trials considerably and allow a more rapid and efficient screening of different compounds. C57BL/6J wildtype male mice, aged 12 weeks, received a low-fat diet or a high-fat diet for 5 days or 12 weeks. After sacrification, white adipose tissue depots were dissected, and immediately snap frozen in liquid nitrogen. Total RNA was isolated, quantified and qualified, and subsequently used for global gene expression profiling using Agilent 4x44K microarrays.

Project description:Using standardized, semipurified diets is a crucial factor for reproducibility of experimental nutritional studies. For the purpose of comparability and integration of research, two European consortia, Mitofood and BIOCLAIMS, proposed an AIN-93-based standard reference diet, the standardized BIOCLAIMS low-fat diet (LFD) as well as a high-fat diet (HFD). In order to evaluate the BIOCLAIMS LFD and HFD, we performed short-term (5 days) and long-term (12 weeks) feeding experiments using male C57BL/6 mice. The HFD has the same composition as the LFD except the fat content is increased to 40% energy in exchange for carbohydrates. Both diets were accepted by the animals and proof of principle was given that the BIOCLAIMS HFD increases body weight and body fat and affects glucose homeostasis. Short-term feeding trials (5 days) were performed in order to identify metabolic and molecular parameters which can serve as acute predictors for metabolic disorders due to high-fat diet-induced obesity. We analyzed gene expression in gonadal white adipose tissue of short- and long-term fed animals with whole genome microarrays. The BIOCLAIMS HFD strongly influenced gene expression in white adipose tissue after short- and long-term intervention. A total number of 973 and 4678 transcripts were significantly different between both diets after 5 days feeding and 12 weeks feeding, respectively. A total number of 764 transcripts encoding 549 genes were significantly differentially regulated between LF and HF animals after 12 weeks feeding as well as after 5 days feeding. Of these 549 overlapping genes, a substantial number (434 genes) were expressed at a lower level and 115 genes were expressed at a higher level in the HF mice compared to the LF mice. Without exception, all genes were regulated equally. Pathway analysis revealed a prominent role for genes involved in lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism and oxidative phosphorylation. This was confirmed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription PCR. The high predictive value of gene expression changes in our short-term study compared to long-term high fat feeding is a promising step to get well-defined, early biomarkers that could shorten animal trials considerably and allow a more rapid and efficient screening of different compounds.

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Short- and long-term changes in gene expression mediated by the activation of TLR9.

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Short- and long-term changes in gene expression mediated by the activation of TLR9.

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