fibroblast-derived-human-engineered-connective-tissue-for-screening

Fibroblast Derived Human Engineered Connective Tissue for Screening Applications

Fibroblasts are phenotypically highly dynamic cells, which quickly transdifferentiate into myofibroblasts in response to biochemical and biomechanical ...

DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research) partner site, Goettingen

University Medical Center Goettingen

An increase in cardiac afterload typically produces concentric hypertrophy characterized by an increase in cardiomyocyte width, whereas volume overload or exercise results in eccentric growth characterized by cellular elongation and addition of sarcomeres in series. The signaling pathways that control eccentric versus concentric heart growth are not well understood.

Extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 regulate the balance between eccentric and concentric cardiac growth.

Advancing structural and functional maturation of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes remains a key challenge for applications in disease modeling, drug screening, and heart repair. Here, we sought to advance cardiomyocyte maturation in engineered human myocardium (EHM) toward an adult phenotype under defined conditions.

Defined Engineered Human Myocardium With Advanced Maturation for Applications in Heart Failure Modeling and Repair.

Heart failure is a major health problem worldwide with a significant morbidity and mortality rate. Although studied extensively in animal models, data from patients at the compensated disease stage are lacking. We sampled myocardium biopsies from aortic stenosis patients with compensated hypertrophy and moderate heart failure and used transcriptomics to study the transition to failure. Sequencing and comparative analysis of analogous samples of mice with transverse aortic constriction identified 25 candidate genes with similar regulation in response to pressure overload, reflecting highly conserved molecular processes. The gene cysteine-rich secretory protein LCCL domain containing 1 (CRISPLD1) is upregulated in the transition to failure in human and mouse and its function is unknown. Homology to ion channel regulatory toxins suggests a role in Ca cycling. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated loss-of-function leads to dysregulated Ca handling in human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. The downregulation of prohypertrophic, proapoptotic and Ca-signaling pathways upon CRISPLD1-KO and its upregulation in the transition to failure implicates a contribution to adverse remodeling. These findings provide new pathophysiological data on Ca regulation in the transition to failure and novel candidate genes with promising potential for therapeutic interventions.

Malte Tiburcy

DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research) partner site, Goettingen

Fibroblast Derived Human Engineered Connective Tissue for Screening Applications