Manipulation of death pathways in desmin-related cardiomyopathy.
BACKGROUND
Transgenic mice with cardiac specific overexpression of mutated alphaB-crystallin (CryAB(R120G)) display Desmin-related myopathy (DRM) with dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure. Our previous studies showed the presence of progressive mitochondrial abnormalities and activation of apoptotic cell death in CryAB(R120G) transgenic hearts. However, the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis in the overall course of the disease was unclear.


OBJECTIVE
We tested the hypothesis that prevention of apoptosis would ameliorate CryAB(R120G) pathology and decrease morbidity.


RESULTS
We crossed CryAB(R120G) mice to transgenic mice with cardiac specific overexpression of Bcl-2. Sustained Bcl-2 overexpression in CryAB(R120G) hearts prolonged CryAB(R120G) transgenic mice survival by 20%. This was associated with decreased mitochondrial abnormalities, restoration of cardiac function, prevention of cardiac hypertrophy, and attenuation of apoptosis. CryAB(R120G) misfolded protein aggregation was significantly reduced in the double transgenic. However, inhibition of apoptotic signaling resulted in the upregulation of autophagy and alternative death pathways, the net result being increased necrosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Although Bcl-2 overexpression prolonged life in this DRM model, in the absence of apoptosis, another death pathway was activated.
Maloyan
Alina
A
Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Sayegh
Jennifer
J
Osinska
Hanna
H
Chua
Balvin H L
BH
Robbins
Jeffrey
J
D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D002312:Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003893:Desmin / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015996:Survival Rate; D038203:alpha-Crystallin B Chain / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D003893:Desmin; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D038203:alpha-Crystallin B Chain