title: Sema3a maintains normal heart rhythm through sympathetic innervation patterning.
abstract: Sympathetic innervation is critical for effective cardiac function. However, the developmental and regulatory mechanisms determining the density and patterning of cardiac sympathetic innervation remain unclear, as does the role of this innervation in arrhythmogenesis. Here we show that a neural chemorepellent, Sema3a, establishes cardiac sympathetic innervation patterning. Sema3a is abundantly expressed in the trabecular layer in early-stage embryos but is restricted to Purkinje fibers after birth, forming an epicardial-to-endocardial transmural sympathetic innervation patterning. Sema3a(-/-) mice lacked a cardiac sympathetic innervation gradient and exhibited stellate ganglia malformation, which led to marked sinus bradycardia due to sympathetic dysfunction. Cardiac-specific overexpression of Sema3a in transgenic mice (SemaTG) was associated with reduced sympathetic innervation and attenuation of the epicardial-to-endocardial innervation gradient. SemaTG mice demonstrated sudden death and susceptibility to ventricular tachycardia, due to catecholamine supersensitivity and prolongation of the action potential duration. We conclude that appropriate cardiac Sema3a expression is needed for sympathetic innervation patterning and is critical for heart rate control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Regenerative Medicine and Advanced Cardiac Therapeutics, Keio University School of Medicine, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ieda
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kanazawa
authors.forename: Kensuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: Fumiyuki
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hattori
authors.forename: Yasuyo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ieda
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: Jong-Kook
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumura
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Shunichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.forename: Kouji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimoda
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Makino
authors.forename: Motoaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Itsuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fukuda
mesh_terms: D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006321:Heart / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D040121:Semaphorin-3A / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C488217:Sema3a protein, mouse; D040121:Semaphorin-3A; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase