title: Morphological and functional changes in cardiac myocytes isolated from mice overexpressing TNF-alpha.
abstract: Transgenic (TG) TNF1.6 mice, which cardiac specifically overexpress tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), exhibit heart failure (HF) and increased mortality, which is markedly higher in young (<20 wk) males (TG-M) than females (TG-F). HF in this model may be partly caused by remodeling of the extracellular matrix and/or structure/function alterations at the single myocyte level. We studied left ventricular (LV) structure and function using echocardiography and LV myocyte morphometry, contractile function, and intracellular Ca(2+) (Ca(i)(2+)) handling using cell edge detection and fura 2 fluorescence, respectively, in 12-wk-old TG-M and TG-F mice and their wild-type (WT) littermates. TG-F mice showed LV hypertrophy without dilatation and only a small reduction of basal fractional shortening (FS) and response to isoproterenol (Iso). TG-M mice showed a large LV dilatation, higher mRNA levels of beta-myosin heavy chain and atrial natriuretic factor versus TG-F mice, reduced FS relative to both WT and TG-F mice, and minimal response to Iso. TG-F and TG-M myocytes were similarly elongated (by approximately 20%). The amplitude of Ca(i)(2+) transients and contractions and the response to Iso were comparable in WT and TG-F myocytes, whereas the time to 50% decline (TD(50%)) of the Ca(i)(2+) transient, an index of the rate of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) uptake, was prolonged in TG-F myocytes. In TG-M myocytes, the amplitudes of Ca(i)(2+) transients and contractions were reduced, TD(50%) of the Ca(i)(2+) transient was prolonged, and the inotropic effect of Iso on Ca(i)(2+) transients was reduced approximately twofold versus WT myocytes. Protein expression of sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase 2 and phospholamban was unaltered in TG versus WT hearts, suggesting functional origins of impaired Ca(2+) handling in the former. These results indicate that cardiac-specific overexpression of TNF-alpha induces myocyte hypertrophy and gender-dependent alterations in Ca(i)(2+) handling and contractile function, which may at least partly account for changes in LV geometry and in vivo cardiac function in this model.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Institute, University of Pittsburgh Health System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213, USA.
authors.forename: Andrzej M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Janczewski
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kadokami
authors.forename: Bonnie
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lemster
authors.forename: Carole S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Frye
authors.forename: Charles F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: McTiernan
authors.forename: Arthur M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Feldman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D048429:Cell Size; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004452:Echocardiography; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D053498:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D012737:Sex Factors; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left; D000099211:Phospholamban
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002118:Calcium; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D053498:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D000099211:Phospholamban