title: Cardiac PPARalpha expression in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARalpha) is a central regulator of myocardial fatty acid (FA) metabolism implicated in the pathogenesis of heart failure.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To characterize PPARalpha regulation in human dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), we studied the expression of cardiac PPARalpha, cardiac carnitine palmitoyl-transferase I (CPT-1), a major PPARalpha target gene, and of the cardiac glucose transporter GLUT-4 in patients with DCM.
  
  
  METHODS
  Left ventricular biopsies were taken from patients with DCM (n=16) and control subjects (n=15), and mRNA expression was quantitated using real-time PCR (SYBR((R))Green) and protein expression was measured by Western immunoblotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Left ventricular PPARalpha mRNA levels were significantly increased in the DCM group compared to the control group (136+/-25.4% vs. control, p<0.01). Consistently, DCM patients had a significantly higher cardiac CPT-1 mRNA expression (147+/-51% vs. control, p<0.05) compared to the control group. Cardiac GLUT-4 expression was similar in both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Elevated cardiac PPARalpha levels followed by an induction of cardiac CPT-1 expression may result in increased fatty acid metabolism for cardiac energy production in DCM, suggesting a specific cardiac metabolic program in human DCM compared to other types of cardiomyopathy.
authors.affiliation: Center for Cardiovascular Research, CCR, Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, CCM, Hessischestr. 3-4, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schupp
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kintscher
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fielitz
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Reinhard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pregla
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hetzer
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Unger
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Regitz-Zagrosek
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000378:metabolism*; D002334:Carnitine O-Palmitoyltransferase / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D051275:Glucose Transporter Type 4 / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D047493:PPAR alpha / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D051275:Glucose Transporter Type 4; D047493:PPAR alpha; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D002334:Carnitine O-Palmitoyltransferase