Project description:The physiological adaptation of the heart to the postnatal environment is one of the most critical developmental transitions in the life of mammals. Despite in depth knowledge of the molecular mechanisms controlling embryonic heart development, little is known about the signals that govern postnatal maturation of the heart in humans. Here, we analyse the transcriptome of more than 50,000 single cells in the developing human heart from early gestation to adulthood, which enabled mapping of developmental trajectories across 7 main classes of cardiac cells over time. Striking sex-specific differences in cardiomyocyte maturation were identified and subsequently confirmed via deep RNA sequencing of purified cardiomyocytes. To identify transcriptional drivers of these changes, ATAC-seq was used to assay the open chromatin landscape, which unveiled the progesterone receptor as a key mediator of sex-dependent transcriptional changes during cardiomyocyte maturation. Functional studies in mice, as well as human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and organoids, validated the progesterone receptor as a mediator of sex-specific metabolic programs and as a cardiac inotrope, consistent with a role in developmental maturation. These datasets provide a blueprint for understanding sex-specific mechanisms governing human heart development and unveil an important role for the progesterone receptor in cardiomyocyte maturation.
Project description:The physiological adaptation of the heart to the postnatal environment is one of the most critical developmental transitions in the life of mammals. Despite in depth knowledge of the molecular mechanisms controlling embryonic heart development, little is known about the signals that govern postnatal maturation of the heart in humans. Here, we analyse the transcriptome of more than 50,000 single cells in the developing human heart from early gestation to adulthood, which enabled mapping of developmental trajectories across 7 main classes of cardiac cells over time. Striking sex-specific differences in cardiomyocyte maturation were identified and subsequently confirmed via deep RNA sequencing of purified cardiomyocytes. To identify transcriptional drivers of these changes, ATAC-seq was used to assay the open chromatin landscape, which unveiled the progesterone receptor as a key mediator of sex-dependent transcriptional changes during cardiomyocyte maturation. Functional studies in mice, as well as human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and organoids, validated the progesterone receptor as a mediator of sex-specific metabolic programs and as a cardiac inotrope, consistent with a role in developmental maturation. These datasets provide a blueprint for understanding sex-specific mechanisms governing human heart development and unveil an important role for the progesterone receptor in cardiomyocyte maturation.
Project description:The physiological adaptation of the heart to the postnatal environment is one of the most critical developmental transitions in the life of mammals. Despite in depth knowledge of the molecular mechanisms controlling embryonic heart development, little is known about the signals that govern postnatal maturation of the heart in humans. Here, we analyse the transcriptome of more than 50,000 single cells in the developing human heart from early gestation to adulthood, which enabled mapping of developmental trajectories across 7 main classes of cardiac cells over time. Striking sex-specific differences in cardiomyocyte maturation were identified and subsequently confirmed via deep RNA sequencing of purified cardiomyocytes. To identify transcriptional drivers of these changes, ATAC-seq was used to assay the open chromatin landscape, which unveiled the progesterone receptor as a key mediator of sex-dependent transcriptional changes during cardiomyocyte maturation. Functional studies in mice, as well as human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and organoids, validated the progesterone receptor as a mediator of sex-specific metabolic programs and as a cardiac inotrope, consistent with a role in developmental maturation. These datasets provide a blueprint for understanding sex-specific mechanisms governing human heart development and unveil an important role for the progesterone receptor in cardiomyocyte maturation.
Project description:The physiological adaptation of the heart to the postnatal environment is one of the most critical developmental transitions in the life of mammals. Despite in depth knowledge of the molecular mechanisms controlling embryonic heart development, little is known about the signals that govern postnatal maturation of the heart in humans. Here, we analyse the transcriptome of more than 50,000 single cells in the developing human heart from early gestation to adulthood, which enabled mapping of developmental trajectories across 7 main classes of cardiac cells over time. Striking sex-specific differences in cardiomyocyte maturation were identified and subsequently confirmed via deep RNA sequencing of purified cardiomyocytes. To identify transcriptional drivers of these changes, ATAC-seq was used to assay the open chromatin landscape, which unveiled the progesterone receptor as a key mediator of sex-dependent transcriptional changes during cardiomyocyte maturation. Functional studies in mice, as well as human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and organoids, validated the progesterone receptor as a mediator of sex-specific metabolic programs and as a cardiac inotrope, consistent with a role in developmental maturation. These datasets provide a blueprint for understanding sex-specific mechanisms governing human heart development and unveil an important role for the progesterone receptor in cardiomyocyte maturation.
Project description:The physiological adaptation of the heart to the postnatal environment is one of the most critical developmental transitions in the life of mammals. Despite in depth knowledge of the molecular mechanisms controlling embryonic heart development, little is known about the signals that govern postnatal maturation of the heart in humans. Here, we analyse the transcriptome of more than 50,000 single cells in the developing human heart from early gestation to adulthood, which enabled mapping of developmental trajectories across 7 main classes of cardiac cells over time. Striking sex-specific differences in cardiomyocyte maturation were identified and subsequently confirmed via deep RNA sequencing of purified cardiomyocytes. To identify transcriptional drivers of these changes, ATAC-seq was used to assay the open chromatin landscape, which unveiled the progesterone receptor as a key mediator of sex-dependent transcriptional changes during cardiomyocyte maturation. Functional studies in mice, as well as human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes and organoids, validated the progesterone receptor as a mediator of sex-specific metabolic programs and as a cardiac inotrope, consistent with a role in developmental maturation. These datasets provide a blueprint for understanding sex-specific mechanisms governing human heart development and unveil an important role for the progesterone receptor in cardiomyocyte maturation.
Project description:Cardiomyocyte maturation is the final stage of heart development, and abnormal cardiomyocyte maturation will lead to serious heart diseases. CXXC zinc finger protein 1 (Cfp1) is an important epigenetic factor, which plays an essential role in the development and maturation of multi-lineage cells, while its effect on the maturation of cardiomyocyte remains unclear. This study was performed to explore the potential role of Cfp1 in cardiomyocyte maturation of heart and the underlying mechanisms. Cardiomyocyte-specific Cfp1 knockout (Cfp1-cKO) mice died within 4 weeks of birth. Cardiomyocytes from Cfp1-cKO mice showed an inhibited maturation phenotype in structure, metabolism, contractile function, and cell cycle, accompanied by down-regulation of adult genes and up-regulation of fetal genes. In contrast, cardiomyocyte-specific Cfp1 transgenic (Cfp1-TG) mice and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) overexpressing Cfp1 showed a more mature phenotype. Mechanistically, deficiency of Cfp1 results in reduced trimethylation on lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4me3) modification and formation of ectopic H3K4me3. Moreover, Cfp1 deletion decreased the level of H3K4me3 modification in adult genes and increased the level of H3K4me3 modification in fetal genes. Collectively, Cfp1 modulates the expression of cardiomyocyte maturation related genes by modulating histone H3K4me3 modification, which in turn regulates cardiomyocyte maturation. This study implicates Cfp1 as an important molecule regulating cardiomyocyte maturation, and its dysfunction is strongly associated with cardiac disease.
Project description:Cardiomyocyte maturation is the final stage of heart development, and abnormal cardiomyocyte maturation will lead to serious heart diseases. CXXC zinc finger protein 1 (Cfp1) is an important epigenetic factor, which plays an essential role in the development and maturation of multi-lineage cells, while its effect on the maturation of cardiomyocyte remains unclear. This study was performed to explore the potential role of Cfp1 in cardiomyocyte maturation of heart and the underlying mechanisms. Cardiomyocyte-specific Cfp1 knockout (Cfp1-cKO) mice died within 4 weeks of birth. Cardiomyocytes from Cfp1-cKO mice showed an inhibited maturation phenotype in structure, metabolism, contractile function, and cell cycle, accompanied by down-regulation of adult genes and up-regulation of fetal genes. In contrast, cardiomyocyte-specific Cfp1 transgenic (Cfp1-TG) mice and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) overexpressing Cfp1 showed a more mature phenotype. Mechanistically, deficiency of Cfp1 results in reduced trimethylation on lysine 4 of histone H3 (H3K4me3) modification and formation of ectopic H3K4me3. Moreover, Cfp1 deletion decreased the level of H3K4me3 modification in adult genes and increased the level of H3K4me3 modification in fetal genes. Collectively, Cfp1 modulates the expression of cardiomyocyte maturation related genes by modulating histone H3K4me3 modification, which in turn regulates cardiomyocyte maturation. This study implicates Cfp1 as an important molecule regulating cardiomyocyte maturation, and its dysfunction is strongly associated with cardiac disease.
Project description:Cardiac maturation lays the foundation for postnatal heart development and disease, yet little is known about the contributions of the microenvironment to cardiomyocyte maturation. By integrating single-cell RNA-sequencing data of mouse hearts at multiple postnatal stages, we construct cellular interactomes and regulatory signaling networks. Here we report switching of fibroblast subtypes from a neonatal to adult state and this drives cardiomyocyte maturation. Molecular and functional maturation of neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes and human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes are considerably enhanced upon coculture with corresponding adult cardiac fibroblasts. Further, single-cell analysis of in vivo and in vitro cardiomyocyte maturation trajectories identify highly conserved signaling pathways, pharmacological targeting of which substantially delays cardiomyocyte maturation in postnatal hearts, and markedly enhances cardiomyocyte proliferation and improves cardiac function in infarcted hearts. Together, we identify cardiac fibroblasts as a key constituent in the microenvironment promoting cardiomyocyte maturation, providing insights into how the manipulation of cardiomyocyte maturity may impact on disease development and regeneration.