title: Gender modulates the expression of calcium-regulating proteins in pediatric atrial myocardium.
abstract: A differential expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium-ATPase (SERCA2a) and phospholamban (PLB) characterizes the remodeling process in heart failure and atrial arrhythmias in adult patients. Gender is known to modulate the course and prognosis of different forms of heart disease. We hypothesized that gender plays a role in molecular changes of myocardial calcium regulating components already in childhood. Moreover, we studied the influence of volume overloaded (VO) on SERCA2a and PLB in pediatric patients. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction was used to measure mRNA expression of SERCA2a and PLB in atrial myocardium from 30 pediatric patients (12 girls, 18 boys). Eighteen patients had VO right atria, and 12 patients had not-overloaded atria (NO). Protein expression was studied by Western blot. In the entire population, SERCA2a and PLB expression was not different between girls and boys. If hemodynamic overload was taken into account, SERCA2a mRNA expression was significantly reduced in the VO group compared with the NO group (P = 0.021). The VO versus NO difference was restricted to boys, which corresponds to a highly significant interaction of gender versus VO status (P = 0.002). The PLB to SERCA2a protein ratio was significantly lower in girls (P = 0.028). The decrease in SERCA2a mRNA expression in VO atrial myocardium and the PLB to SERCA2a ratio of protein expression was modulated by gender in this pediatric population. To our knowledge, this study is the first to show the impact of gender on the differential expression of calcium-regulating components in pediatric cardiac patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Cardiology, University Children's Hospital, Berne, Switzerland. mladen.pavlovic@insel.ch
authors.forename: Mladen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pavlovic
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schaller
authors.forename: Bernhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Steiner
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Berdat
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Carrel
authors.forename: Jean-Pierre
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Pfammatter
authors.forename: Roland A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Ammann
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gallati
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000201:enzymology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D016534:Cardiac Output, High / Q000201:enzymology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000201:enzymology; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000201:enzymology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000201:enzymology*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D053498:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D012737:Sex Factors; D000099211:Phospholamban
chemical_list: D002118:Calcium; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D000252:Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D053498:Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Calcium-Transporting ATPases; D000099211:Phospholamban