1. |
- Beverborg, Niels Grote, et al.
(author)
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Phospholamban antisense oligonucleotides improve cardiac function in murine cardiomyopathy
- 2021
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In: Nature Communications. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Cell and Molecular Biology. - 2041-1723.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Heart failure (HF) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, highlighting an urgent need for novel treatment options, despite recent improvements. Aberrant Ca2+ handling is a key feature of HF pathophysiology. Restoring the Ca2+ regulating machinery is an attractive therapeutic strategy supported by genetic and pharmacological proof of concept studies. Here, we study antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) as a therapeutic modality, interfering with the PLN/SERCA2a interaction by targeting Pln mRNA for downregulation in the heart of murine HF models. Mice harboring the PLN R14del pathogenic variant recapitulate the human dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) phenotype; subcutaneous administration of PLN-ASO prevents PLN protein aggregation, cardiac dysfunction, and leads to a 3-fold increase in survival rate. In another genetic DCM mouse model, unrelated to PLN (Cspr3/Mlp−/−), PLN-ASO also reverses the HF phenotype. Finally, in rats with myocardial infarction, PLN-ASO treatment prevents progression of left ventricular dilatation and improves left ventricular contractility. Thus, our data establish that antisense inhibition of PLN is an effective strategy in preclinical models of genetic cardiomyopathy as well as ischemia driven HF.
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2. |
- Rohner, Eduarde, et al.
(author)
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An mRNA assay system demonstrates proteasomal-specific degradation contributes to cardiomyopathic phospholamban null mutation
- 2021
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In: Molecular Medicine. - Stockholm : Karolinska Institutet, Dept of Cell and Molecular Biology. - 1528-3658 .- 1076-1551.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: The human L39X phospholamban (PLN) cardiomyopathic mutant has previously been reported as a null mutation but the detailed molecular pathways that lead to the complete lack of detectable protein remain to be clarified. Previous studies have shown the implication between an impaired cellular degradation homeostasis and cardiomyopathy development. Therefore, uncovering the underlying mechanism responsible for the lack of PLN protein has important implications in understanding the patient pathology, chronic human calcium dysregulation and aid the development of potential therapeutics. Methods: A panel of mutant and wild-type reporter tagged PLN modified mRNA (modRNA) constructs were transfected in human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Lysosomal and proteasomal chemical inhibitors were used together with cell imaging and protein analysis tools in order to dissect degradation pathways associated with expressed PLN constructs. Transcriptional profiling of the cardiomyocytes transfected by wild-type or L39X mutant PLN modRNA was analysed with bulk RNA sequencing. Results: Our modRNA assay system revealed that transfected L39X mRNA was stable and actively translated in vitro but with only trace amount of protein detectable. Proteasomal inhibition of cardiomyocytes transfected with L39X mutant PLN modRNA showed a fourfold increase in protein expression levels. Additionally, RNA sequencing analysis of protein degradational pathways showed a significant distinct transcriptomic signature between wild-type and L39X mutant PLN modRNA transfected cardiomyocytes. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that the cardiomyopathic PLN null mutant L39X is rapidly, actively and specifically degraded by proteasomal pathways. Herein, and to the best of our knowledge, we report for the first time the usage of modified mRNAs to screen for and illuminate alternative molecular pathways found in genes associated with inherited cardiomyopathies.
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3. |
- Santoro, Federica, et al.
(author)
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Isolation of human ESC-derived cardiac derivatives and embryonic heart cells for population and single-cell RNA-seq analysis
- 2021
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In: STAR PROTOCOLS. - : Elsevier. - 2666-1667. ; 2:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The combination of population and single-cell RNA sequencing analysis using hu-man embryonic stem cell (hESC) differentiation and developmental tissues is a powerful approach to elucidate an organ-specific cellular and molecular atlas in human embryogenesis. This protocol describes (1) cardiac-directed differentia-tion and isolation of hESC-derived cardiac derivatives with fluorescence -acti-vated cell sorting, (2) isolation of human embryonic heart-derived single cardiac cells, and (3) construction of cDNA libraries with Smart-seq2. These allow for the preparation of human developmental samples for comprehensive transcriptional analysis. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Sahara et al. (2019).
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