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Myocardin-related transcription factors are required for skeletal muscle development.

ABSTRACT: Myocardin-related transcription factors (MRTFs) play a central role in the regulation of actin expression and cytoskeletal dynamics. Stimuli that promote actin polymerization allow for shuttling of MRTFs to the nucleus where they activate serum response factor (SRF), a regulator of actin and other cytoskeletal protein genes. SRF is an essential regulator of skeletal muscle differentiation and numerous components of the muscle sarcomere, but the potential involvement of MRTFs in skeletal muscle development has not been examined. We explored the role of MRTFs in muscle development in vivo by generating mutant mice harboring a skeletal muscle-specific deletion of MRTF-B and a global deletion of MRTF-A. These double knockout (dKO) mice were able to form sarcomeres during embryogenesis. However, the sarcomeres were abnormally small and disorganized, causing skeletal muscle hypoplasia and perinatal lethality. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated dramatic dysregulation of actin genes in MRTF dKO mice, highlighting the importance of MRTFs in actin cycling and myofibrillogenesis. MRTFs were also shown to be necessary for the survival of skeletal myoblasts and for the efficient formation of intact myotubes. Our findings reveal a central role for MRTFs in sarcomere formation during skeletal muscle development and point to the potential involvement of these transcriptional co-activators in skeletal myopathies.

SUBMITTER: Cenik BK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5004908 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Myocardin-related transcription factors are required for skeletal muscle development.

Cenik Bercin K BK Liu Ning N Chen Beibei B Bezprozvannaya Svetlana S Olson Eric N EN Olson Eric N EN Bassel-Duby Rhonda R

Development (Cambridge, England) 20160706 15

Myocardin-related transcription factors (MRTFs) play a central role in the regulation of actin expression and cytoskeletal dynamics. Stimuli that promote actin polymerization allow for shuttling of MRTFs to the nucleus where they activate serum response factor (SRF), a regulator of actin and other cytoskeletal protein genes. SRF is an essential regulator of skeletal muscle differentiation and numerous components of the muscle sarcomere, but the potential involvement of MRTFs in skeletal muscle d ...[more]

PMID: 27385017

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Project description:BackgroundHypertrophic cardiomyocyte growth and dysfunction accompany various forms of heart disease. The mechanisms responsible for transcriptional changes that affect cardiac physiology and the transition to heart failure are not well understood. The intercalated disc (ID) is a specialized intercellular junction coupling cardiomyocyte force transmission and propagation of electrical activity. The ID is gaining attention as a mechanosensitive signaling hub and hotspot for causative mutations in cardiomyopathy.MethodsTransmission electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, and single-molecule localization microscopy were used to examine changes in ID structure and protein localization in the murine and human heart. We conducted detailed cardiac functional assessment and transcriptional profiling of mice lacking myocardin-related transcription factor (MRTF)-A and MRTF-B specifically in adult cardiomyocytes to evaluate the role of mechanosensitive regulation of gene expression in load-induced ventricular remodeling.ResultsWe found that MRTFs localize to IDs in the healthy human heart and accumulate in the nucleus in heart failure. Although mice lacking MRTFs in adult cardiomyocytes display normal cardiac physiology at baseline, pressure overload leads to rapid heart failure characterized by sarcomere disarray, ID disintegration, chamber dilation and wall thinning, cardiac functional decline, and partially penetrant acute lethality. Transcriptional profiling reveals a program of actin cytoskeleton and cardiomyocyte adhesion genes driven by MRTFs during pressure overload. Indeed, conspicuous remodeling of gap junctions at IDs identified by single-molecule localization microscopy may partially stem from a reduction in Mapre1 expression, which we show is a direct mechanosensitive MRTF target.ConclusionsOur study describes a novel paradigm in which MRTFs control an acute mechanosensitive signaling circuit that coordinates cross-talk between the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton and maintains ID integrity and cardiomyocyte homeostasis in heart disease.

Dataset Information

Myocardin-related transcription factors are required for skeletal muscle development.

Publications

Myocardin-related transcription factors are required for skeletal muscle development.

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