Upregulation of GRP78 and caspase-12 in diastolic failing heart.
BACKGROUND
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) fulfills multiple cellular functions. Various stimuli can potentially cause ER stress (ERS). ERS is one of the intrinsic apoptosis pathways and apoptosis plays a critical role in hypertension. Glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78) has been widely used as a marker for ERS and caspase-12 mediated apoptosis was a specific apoptotic pathway of ER. The expression of GRP78 and caspase-12 remains poorly understood in the diastolic heart failure resulting from hypertension.


METHODS
We used spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) to establish a model of diastolic heart failure, and performed immunohistochemistry, western blot, and real-time PCR to analyze GRP78 and caspase-12.


RESULTS
We found that GRP78 and caspase-12 had enhanced expression at protein and mRNA levels.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that GRP78 and caspase-12 were upregulated in cardiomyocytes and ERS can contribute to cardiac myocyte apoptosis in the diastolic heart failure resulting from hypertension.
Sun
Yingying
Y
Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Remodeling and Function Research, Chinese Ministry of Education and Chinese Ministry of Public Health, Department of Cardiovascular Disease, Qilu Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, China.
Liu
Guanghui
G
Song
Tao
T
Liu
Fang
F
Kang
Weiqiang
W
Zhang
Yun
Y
Ge
Zhiming
Z
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001483:Base Sequence; D053454:Caspase 12 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004721:Endoplasmic Reticulum / Q000378:metabolism; D054144:Heart Failure, Diastolic / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D013312:Stress, Physiological; D015854:Up-Regulation; D000091342:Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP
D053454:Caspase 12; D017931:DNA Primers; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C051684:GRP78 protein, rat; D000091342:Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; C506443:Casp12 protein, rat