Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018801 (heart failure)
 72,216 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Release of bacterial endotoxin and cytokines induce cardiac failure during sepsis. We investigated the direct effects of E. coli endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) and cytokines induced by LPS on the cardiac myocyte gene program. For in vivo-experiments adult Wistar rats were given 600 microg/day LPS i.v. for 24 h or 7 days. In addition, cultured adult rat cardiac myocytes were treated with LPS, interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFalpha), interferon-gamma (IFNgamma) or IL-6 for 24 h. mRNA expression was evaluated for cardiac-alpha-actin (cAct), skeletal-alpha-actin (skAct), beta- and alpha-myosin heavy chain (MHC). LPS induced betaMHC-mRNA 3.6-fold and repressed alphaMHC 2.7-fold and cAct 2.5-fold after 24 h in vivo. Up-regulation of betaMHC (3-fold) and repression of cAct (2.5-fold) were still observed after 7 days LPS infusion, whereas alphaMHC-mRNA levels had returned to normal. At the protein level, increased expression of betaMHC by LPS treatment occurred already after 24 h and was maintained thereafter. LPS had no influence on skAct-mRNA. Similar changes in contractile protein mRNA expression were observed in LPS-treated cardiomyocytes in culture, whereas the tested cytokines either activated (IL-1beta, IFNgamma) or repressed (TNFalpha, IL-6) both MHC-isoforms and cAct. In conclusion, LPS and proinflammatory cytokines induce changes in contractile protein expression that may contribute to the acute heart failure observed during endotoxaemia.
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PMID:Endotoxin and cytokines alter contractile protein expression in cardiac myocytes in vivo. 1168 Jun 26

Nitric oxide (NO), a potent regulator of myocardial contractility, has been implicated in the development of heart failure; however, no study exists describing the relation between expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), formation of NO in vivo, and cardiac contractility. We have therefore generated transgenic (TG) mice overexpressing iNOS under the cardiospecific alpha-myosin heavy chain (alpha-MHC) promoter. In vitro, iNOS activity in hearts of two transgenic lines was 260- to 400-fold above controls (wild type [WT]), but TG mice were viable and appeared normal. Ventricular mass/body weight ratio did not differ; heart rate and cardiac output as well as mean arterial blood pressure were decreased by 10%. NO(x) levels of hearts and blood of TG mice were 2.5- and 2-fold above WT controls, respectively. In the isolated heart, release of the NO oxidation products nitrate and nitrite, an index of in vivo NOS activity, was 40-fold over WT. However, cardiac hemodynamics and levels of ATP and phosphocreatine were unaltered. The high iNOS activity was associated with reduced cardiac L-arginine in TG hearts to only 15% of the WT, indicating limited substrate availability, whereas L-citrulline was 20-fold elevated. Our findings demonstrate that the heart can tolerate high levels of iNOS activity without detrimental functional consequences. The concept that iNOS-derived NO is the triggering factor in the pathomechanism leading to heart failure therefore needs to be reevaluated.
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PMID:Cardiac-specific overexpression of inducible nitric oxide synthase does not result in severe cardiac dysfunction. 1452 22

Inhibitors of carnitine palmitoyl-transferase I (CPT I), the key enzyme for the transport of long-chain acyl-coenzyme A (acyl-CoA) compounds into mitochondria, have been developed as agents for treating diabetes mellitus Type 2. Findings that the CPT I inhibitor, etomoxir, has effects on overloaded heart muscle, which are associated with an improved function, were unexpected and can be attributed to selective changes in the dysregulated gene expression of hypertrophied cardiomyocytes. Also, the first clinical trial with etomoxir in patients with heart failure showed that etomoxir improved the clinical status and several parameters of heart function. In view of the action of etomoxir on gene expression, putative molecular mechanisms involved in an increased expression of SERCA2, the Ca(2+) pump of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and alpha-myosin heavy chain (MHC) of failing overloaded heart muscle are described. The first 225 bp of human, rabbit, rat and mouse SERCA2 promoter sequence have high identity. Various cis-regularory elements are also given for the promoter of the rat cardiac alpha-MHC gene. It is hypothesised that etomoxir increases glucose-phosphate intermediates resulting in activation of signalling pathway(s) mediated by phosphatases. Regarding the possible direct action of etomoxir on peroxisome proliferator activated receptor alpha (PPAR-alpha) activation, it could upregulate the expression of various enzymes that participate in beta-oxidation, thereby modulating some effects of CPT 1 inhibition. Any development of alternative drugs requires a better understanding of the signal pathways involved in the altered gene expression. In particular, signals need to be identified which are altered in overloaded hearts and can selectively be re-activated by etomoxir.
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PMID:Therapeutic potential of CPT I inhibitors: cardiac gene transcription as a target. 1186 64

Heme oxygenase (HO)-1 converts heme to bilirubin, carbon monoxide, and iron. Our prior work has suggested a cardioprotective role for HO-1 in heart failure. To test whether HO-1 (heat shock protein 32) prevents cardiomyocyte apoptosis and cardiac dysfunction after ischemia-reperfusion (I/R), we generated transgenic mice overexpressing HO-1 in the heart under the control of the alpha-myosin heavy chain promoter. HO-1 transcript and protein increased markedly in the heart only. In an isolated heart preparation, we observed an enhanced functional recovery during reperfusion after ischemia in the transgenic hearts compared with nontransgenic controls. I/R injury was also performed in intact animals by coronary ligation and reperfusion to assess the protective role of HO-1 overexpression on heart apoptosis. HO-1 overexpression reduced cardiac apoptosis, as evidenced by fewer terminal deoxynucleodidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling-positive or in situ oligo ligation-positive myocytes, compared with nontransgenic mice. Our results indicate that cardioselective overexpression of HO-1 exerts a cardioprotective effect after myocardial I/R in mice, and this effect is probably mediated via an antiapoptotic action of HO-1.
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PMID:Cardioselective overexpression of HO-1 prevents I/R-induced cardiac dysfunction and apoptosis. 1212 17

Despite considerable advances in medicine, the incidence of heart failure remains high in patients after myocardial infarction (MI). This study investigated the effects of engrafted early-differentiated cells (EDCs) from mouse embryonic stem cells, with or without transfection of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) cDNA (phVEGF(165)), on cardiac function in postinfarcted mice. EDCs were transfected with green fluorescent protein (GFP) cDNA and transplanted into infarcted myocardium. Compared with the MI mice receiving cell-free medium, cardiac function was significantly improved in the MI mice 6 wk after transplantation of EDCs. Moreover, improvement of heart function was significantly greater in the mice implanted with EDCs overexpressing VEGF (EDCs-VEGF) than with EDCs alone. Frozen sections of infarcted myocardium with EDCs or EDCs-VEGF transplantation showed GFP-positive tissue. The area with positive immunostaining for cardiac troponin I and alpha-myosin heavy chain was larger in injured myocardium with EDCs or EDCs-VEGF transplantation than with medium injection. Transplantation of EDCs or EDCs-VEGF significantly increased the number of blood vessels in the MI area. However, the density of capillaries was significantly higher in the EDCs-VEGF animals than in the EDC mice. Double staining for GFP and connexin-43 was positive in injured myocardium with EDC transplantation. Our data demonstrate that engrafted EDCs or EDCs-VEGF regenerated cardiac tissue and significantly improved cardiac function in postinfarcted hearts. The novel EDCs-VEGF synergistic approach may have an important impact on future cell therapy for patients experiencing MI or heart failure.
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PMID:VEGF enhances functional improvement of postinfarcted hearts by transplantation of ESC-differentiated cells. 1218 12

To delineate the in vivo cardiac functions requiring normal delta protein kinase C (PKC) activity, we pursued loss-of-function through transgenic expression of a deltaPKC-specific translocation inhibitor protein fragment, deltaV1, in mouse hearts. Initial results using the mouse alpha-myosin heavy chain (alphaMHC) promoter resulted in a lethal heart failure phenotype. Viable deltaV1 mice were therefore obtained using novel attenuated mutant alphaMHC promoters lacking one or the other thyroid response element (TRE-1 and -2). In transgenic mouse hearts, deltaV1 decorated cytoskeletal elements and inhibited ischemia-induced deltaPKC translocation. At high levels, deltaV1 expression was uniformly lethal, with depressed cardiac contractile function, increased expression of fetal cardiac genes, and formation of intracardiomyocyte protein aggregates. Ultrastructural and immunoconfocal analyses of these aggregates revealed focal cytoskeletal disruptions and localized concentrations of desmin and alphaB-crystallin. In individual cardiomyocytes, cytoskeletal abnormalities correlated with impaired contractile function. Whereas desmin and alphaB-crystallin protein were increased approximately 4-fold in deltaV1 hearts, combined overexpression of these proteins at these levels was not sufficient to cause any detectable cardiac pathology. At low levels, deltaV1 expression conferred striking resistance to postischemic dysfunction, with no measurable effects on basal cardiac structure, function, or gene expression. Intermediate expression of deltaV1 conferred modest basal contractile depression with less ischemic protection, associated with abnormal cardiac gene expression, and a histological picture of infrequent cardiomyocyte cytoskeletal deformities. These results validate an approach of deltaPKC inhibition to protect against myocardial ischemia, but indicate that there is a threshold level of deltaPKC activation that is necessary to maintain normal cardiomyocyte cytoskeletal integrity.
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PMID:Ischemic protection and myofibrillar cardiomyopathy: dose-dependent effects of in vivo deltaPKC inhibition. 1238 52

Nkx2.5, an evolutionarily conserved homeodomain containing transcription factor, is one of the earliest cardiogenic markers. Although its expression continues through adulthood, its function in adult cardiomyocytes is not well understood. To examine the effect of Nkx2.5 in terminal differentiated postnatal cardiomyocytes, we generated transgenic mice expressing either wild-type Nkx2.5 (TG-wild), a putative transcriptionally active mutant (carboxyl-terminus deletion mutant: TG-DeltaC) or a DNA non-binding point mutant of Nkx2.5 (TG-I183P) under alpha-myosin heavy chain promoter. Most TG-wild and TG-DeltaC mice died before 4 months of age with heart failure associated with conduction abnormalities. Cardiomyocytes expressing wild-type Nkx2.5 or a putative transcriptionally active mutant (DeltaC) had dramatically reduced expression of connexin 43 and changed sarcomere structure. Wild-type Nkx2.5 adenovirus-infected adult cardiomyocytes demonstrated connexin 43 downregulation as early as 16 h after infection, indicating that connexin 43 downregulation is due to Nkx2.5 overexpression but not due to heart failure phenotype in vivo. These studies indicate that overexpression of Nkx2.5 in terminally differentiated cardiomyocytes dramatically alters cardiac cell structure and function.
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PMID:Nkx2.5 homeoprotein regulates expression of gap junction protein connexin 43 and sarcomere organization in postnatal cardiomyocytes. 1267 37

Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a transcription factor that can repress or activate transcription of the genes with which it interacts. In this report we show that YY1 is a negative regulator of the alpha-myosin heavy chain (alphaMyHC) gene, which, with betaMyHC are the molecular motors of the heart. AlphaMyHC mRNA and protein levels are down-regulated in hypertrophy and heart failure, and this is thought to be detrimental for cardiac contractility. We show that YY1 specifically interacts with the alphaMyHC promoter and that overexpression of YY1 in cardiac cells represses the activity of the alphaMyHC promoter. We also show that the 170-200-amino acid region of YY1, important for its interaction with histone acetyl transferases and histone deacetylases, is important for its repressive activity and that YY1 deleted in this region is an activator of the alphaMyHC promoter. Moreover, we show that YY1 levels and DNA binding activity are increased in failing human left ventricles and in a mouse model of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, where alphaMyHC levels are decreased. These results suggest that YY1 is a negative regulator of alphaMyHC gene expression.
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PMID:Yin Yang 1 is increased in human heart failure and represses the activity of the human alpha-myosin heavy chain promoter. 1275 14

Aldosterone classically promotes unidirectional transepithelial sodium transport, thereby regulating blood volume and blood pressure. Recently, both clinical and experimental studies have suggested additional, direct roles for aldosterone in the cardiovascular system. To evaluate aldosterone activation of cardiomyocyte mineralocorticoid receptors, transgenic mice overexpressing 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 in cardiomyocytes were generated using the mouse alpha-myosin heavy chain promoter. This enzyme converts glucocorticoids to receptor-inactive metabolites, allowing aldosterone occupancy of cardiomyocyte mineralocorticoid receptors. Transgenic mice were normotensive but spontaneously developed cardiac hypertrophy, fibrosis, and heart failure and died prematurely on a normal salt diet. Eplerenone, a selective aldosterone blocker, ameliorated this phenotype. These studies confirm the deleterious consequences of inappropriate activation of cardiomyocyte mineralocorticoid receptors by aldosterone and reveal a tonic inhibitory role of glucocorticoids in preventing such outcomes under physiological conditions. In addition, these data support the hypothesis that aldosterone blockade may provide additional therapeutic benefit in the treatment of heart failure.
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PMID:Transgenic model of aldosterone-driven cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. 1279 9

The platelet-derived growth factors are implicated in development of fibrotic reactions and disease in several organs. We have overexpressed platelet-derived growth factor-C in the heart using the alpha-myosin heavy chain promoter and created a transgenic mouse that exhibits cardiac fibrosis followed by hypertrophy with sex-dependent phenotypes. The transgenic mice developed several pathological changes including cardiac fibroblast proliferation and deposition of collagen, hypertrophy, vascular defects, and the presence of Anitschkow cells in the adult myocardium. Male mice developed a hypertrophic phenotype, whereas female mice were more severely affected and developed dilated cardiomyopathy, leading to heart failure and sudden death. The vascular defects initially included dilation of microvessels and vascular leakage. Subsequently, a marked loss of microvessels, formation of large vascular sac-like structures, and an increased density of smooth muscle-coated vessels were observed in the myocardium. In part, the observed vascular changes may be because of an up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor in cardiac fibroblasts of the transgenic hearts. This unique animal model reveals that a potent mitogen for cardiac fibroblasts result in an expansion of the interstitium that induce a secondary sex-dependent hypertrophic response in the cardiomyocytes.
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PMID:Transgenic overexpression of platelet-derived growth factor-C in the mouse heart induces cardiac fibrosis, hypertrophy, and dilated cardiomyopathy. 1287 86


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