title: Overexpression of TIMP-1 in embryonic stem cells attenuates adverse cardiac remodeling following myocardial infarction.
abstract: Transplanted embryonic stem (ES) cells, following myocardial infarction (MI), contribute to limited cardiac repair and regeneration with improved function. Therefore, novel strategies are still needed to understand the effects of genetically modified transplanted stem cells on cardiac  remodeling. The present study evaluates whether transplanted mouse ES cells overexpressing TIMP-1, an antiapoptotic and antifibrotic protein, can enhance cardiac myocyte differentiation, inhibit native cardiac myocyte apoptosis, reduce fibrosis, and improve cardiac function in the infarcted  myocardium. MI was produced in C57BL/6 mice by coronary artery ligation. TIMP-1-ES cells, ES cells, or culture medium (control) were transplanted into the peri-infarct region of the heart. Immunofluorescence, TUNEL staining, caspase-3 activity, ELISAs, histology, and echocardiography were  used to identify newly differentiated cardiac myocytes and assess apoptosis, fibrosis, and heart function. Two weeks post-MI, significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced engraftment and cardiac myocyte differentiation was observed in TIMP-1-ES cell-transplanted hearts compared with hearts  transplanted with ES cells and control. Hearts transplanted with TIMP-1-ES cells demonstrated a reduction in apoptosis as well as an increase (p< 0.05) in p-Akt activity compared with ES cells or culture media controls. Infarct size and interstitial and vascular fibrosis were significantly  (p< 0.05) decreased in the TIMP-1-ES cell group compared to controls. Furthermore, MMP-9, a key profibrotic protein, was significantly (p < 0.01) reduced following TIMP-1-ES cell transplantation. Echocardiography data showed fractional shortening and ejection fraction were  significantly (p< 0.05) improved in the TIMP-1-ES cell group compared with respective controls. Our data suggest that transplanted ES cells overexpressing TIMP-1 attenuate adverse myocardial remodeling and improve cardiac function compared with ES cells that may have therapeutic  potential in regenerative medicine.
authors.affiliation: Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL 32816, USA.
authors.forename: Carley
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Glass
authors.forename: Dinender K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Singla
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation*; D005355:Fibrosis / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014162:Transfection; D020257:Ventricular Remodeling / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C560825:Timp1 protein, mouse; D019715:Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1