Project description:We used spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) as an animal model of hypertensive heart disease and treated them with allisartan orally. We continuously monitored the rats' blood pressure levels, measured their body and heart weights, and evaluated their cardiac structure and function using echocardiography. We performed proteome analysis using the tandem mass tag (TMT) technology.
Project description:Adult cardiac progenitor/stem cells (CPC/CSC) are multipotent resident populations involved in cardiac homeostasis and heart repair. Assisted by complementary RNAseq analysis, we defined the proteome fraction associable to specific CPC functions by comparison with human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), the reference population for cell therapy. Label-free proteomics analysis identified 526 proteins expressed differentially in CPC. Quantitative iTRAQ analysis confirmed differential expression of a substantial proportion of these proteins expressed specifically in CPC relative to MSC. Systems biology analysis defined a clear overrepresentation of several categories related to enhanced angiogenic potential. The CPC plasma membrane compartment is comprised by 1595 proteins including a minimal signature of 167 proteins expressed preferentially in CPC. Of these core CPC functions, we selected a panel of 15 predicted cell surface markers and validated high differential expression of CDH5, CD200 and F11R in CPC.
Project description:During acute sympathetic stress, the overeactivation of β-adrenergic receptors (β-ARs) caused cardiac fibrosis, by triggering inflammation and cytokine expression. It is unknown whether exercise training inhibited acute β-AR overactivation-induced cytokine expression and cardiac injury. Here, we reported that running exercise inhibited cardiac fibrosis and improved cardiac function in mice treated by isoproterenol, a β-AR agonist. Cytokine antibody array revealed that exercise prevented the expression changes of most cytokines induced by isoproterenol. Specifically, 18 ISO-upregulated and 3 ISO-downregulated cytokines belonged to six families (eg. chemokine) were prevented. A further KEGG analysis of these cytokines revealed that Hedgehog and Rap1 signaling pathways were involved in the regulation of cytokine expression by exercise. The expression changes of some cytokines that were prevented by exercise were verified by ELISA and real-time PCR. In conclusion, running exercise prevented the cytokine changes following acute β-AR overactivation and therefore attenuated cardiac fibrosis.
Project description:Abstract Background: Long-term hypertension can lead to hypertensive heart disease, which ultimately progresses to heart failure. As an angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) antihypertensive drug, allisartan can control blood pressure and improve cardiac remodeling and cardiac dysfunction caused by hypertension. The objective of this study is to investigate the protective effects of Allisartan on the heart of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: We used spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) as an animal model of hypertensive heart disease and treated them with allisartan orally at a dose of 25 mg/(Kg·day). We continuously monitored the rats' blood pressure levels, measured their body and heart weights, and evaluated their cardiac structure and function using echocardiography. WGA staining and Masson trichrome staining were employed to assess the morphology of the myocardial tissue. We performed transcriptome and proteome analysis using the Solexa/Illumina sequencing platform and tandem mass tag (TMT) technology, respectively. We used immunofluorescence co-localization to analyze Nrf2 nuclear translocation, and TUNEL to detect the level of cell apoptosis. The protein and mRNA levels were determined by Western blotting and qRT-PCR, respectively. Results: Allisartan lowered blood pressure, attenuated cardiac remodeling, and improved cardiac function. Allisartan alleviated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and cardiac fibrosis. Allisartan significantly affected the pentose phosphate pathway, fatty acid elongation, valine, leucine and isoleucine degradation, glutathione metabolism, and amino sugar and nucleotide sugar metabolism pathways in the hearts of SHRs, and upregulated the expression level of GSTM2. Allisartan activated the PI3K-AKT-Nrf2 signaling pathway and inhibited cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Conclusions: Our study determined that allisartan effectively controls blood pressure in SHRs and improves cardiac remodeling and cardiac dysfunction. Allisartan upregulates the expression level of GSTM2 in the hearts of SHRs and significantly affects glutathione metabolism shown by transcriptomics and proteomics analysis. The cardioprotective effect of allisartan may be mediated through activation of the PI3K-AKT-Nrf2 signaling pathway, upregulation of GSTM2 expression, and reduction of SHRs cardiomyocyte apoptosis.
Project description:Oxidative posttranslational modifications (Ox-PTMs) regulate cellular homeostasis in several tissues, including skeletal and cardiac muscles. The putative relationship between Ox-PTMs and intrinsic components of oxidative energy metabolism has not been previously described. We determined the metabolic phenotype and the Ox-PTM profile in the skeletal and cardiac muscles of rats selected for low (LCR) or high (HCR) intrinsic aerobic capacity. The HCR rats have a pronounced increase in mitochondrial content and antioxidant capacity when compared to LCR rats in the skeletal muscle, but only modest changes in the cardiac muscle. Redox proteomics analysis reveals that HCR and LCR rats have different Ox-PTM of cysteine (Cys) residue profile in the skeletal and cardiac muscles. HCR rats have higher number of oxidized Cys residues in the skeletal muscle and conversely display higher number of reduced Cys residues in the cardiac muscle than LCR rats. Most of the proteins with differentially oxidized Cys residues in the skeletal muscle are important regulators of the oxidative metabolism. The most significantly oxidized protein in the skeletal muscle of HCR rats is malate dehydrogenase (MDH1). Interestingly, HCR rats show higher MDH1 activity in the skeletal muscle, but not in the cardiac muscle. Thus, this study uncovers an association between Ox-PTMs and intrinsic aerobic capacity, providing new insights into the role of Ox-PTMs as essential signaling to maintain metabolic homeostasis in different muscle types.
Project description:Heterotopic cardiac transplants were constructed in male Wistar Furth (allograft donor) and ACI (host) rats. Rats were divided into three groups consisting of no treatment, treatment with a sub-therapeutic dose of cyclosporin A, and treated with combination of a sub-therapeutic dose of cyclosporin A and allochimeric peptide. The allografts were harvested at defined periods post-transplantation and RNA was harvested to monitor gene expression changes resulting from the various treatments in T-cells and in heart cells.
Project description:Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats were obtained from Harlan Sprague Dawley Laboratory at 5 weeks of age. At 6 weeks of age, physiologic cardiac hypertrophy was generated by a vigorous daily exercise regimen for 6 weeks (e group). The exercise protocol is based on those described previously with modifications (Wisloff U et al., 2001; Jin H et al., 1994). Rats were exercised daily for 6 weeks on a rodent treadmill (Exer-6M; Columbus Instruments). The exercise program consisted of three weeks of progressively strenuous exercise regimens; followed by three weeks of maintenance period, during which the rats were exercised at 16 m/min at a 5o incline for 90 minutes/day. All rats completed the exercise protocol. Pathological cardiac hypertrophy was generated by feeding a 6% NaCl diet to DS rats at 6 weeks of age (h group) (Inoko M et al., 1994). Control rats (c group) were age matched and sedentary DS rats fed normal rat chow. Read more at http://cardiogenomics.med.harvard.edu/groups/proj1/pages/rat_home.html Keywords: other