title: Cardiac-specific Traf2 overexpression enhances cardiac hypertrophy through activating AKT/GSK3β signaling.
abstract: Tumor necrosis factor superfamily ligands provoke a dilated cardiac phenotype signal through a common scaffolding protein termed tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 2 (Traf2); however, Traf2 signaling in the adult mammalian cardiac hypertrophy is not fully understood. This study was aimed to identify the effect of Traf2 on cardiac hypertrophy and the underlying mechanisms. A significant up-regulation of Traf2 expression was observed in mice failing hearts. To further investigate the role of Traf2 in cardiac hypertrophy, we used cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes with gain and loss of Traf2 function and cardiac-specific Traf2-overexpressing transgenic (TG) mice. In cultured cardiomyocytes, Traf2 positively regulated angiotensin II (Ang II)-mediated hypertrophic growth, as detected by [(3)H]-Leucine incorporation, cardiac myocyte area, and hypertrophic marker protein levels. Cardiac hypertrophy in vivo was produced by constriction of transverse aortic (TAC) in TG mice and their wild-type controls. The extent of cardiac hypertrophy was evaluated by echocardiography as well as by pathological and molecular analyses of heart samples. Traf2 overexpression in the heart remarkably enhanced cardiac hypertrophy, left ventricular dysfunction in mice in response to TAC. Further analysis of the signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo suggested that these adverse effects of Traf2 were associated with the activation of AKT/glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β). The present study demonstrates that Traf2 serves as a novel mediator that enhanced cardiac hypertrophy by activating AKT/GSK3β signaling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou 25035, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Yinqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Zhejiang University City College, 51 Huzhou Road, Hangzhou 310000, China.
authors.forename: Dengyin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou 25035, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou 25035, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Minghua
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, The Tongji Hospital of Tongji University, 309 Xincun Road, Putuo District, Shanghai 200065, China.
authors.forename: Chaohui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou 25035, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Jiangfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou 25035, Zhejiang, China.
authors.forename: Jifei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, 109 Xueyuan Road, Wenzhou 25035, Zhejiang, China. Electronic address: wulianpin@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Lianpin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology; D006332:Cardiomegaly / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 / Q000235:genetics*; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000473:pathology; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000235:genetics*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics*; D047992:TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D047992:TNF Receptor-Associated Factor 2; D000804:Angiotensin II; D000071679:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 beta; C000605507:Gsk3b protein, mouse; C000605508:Gsk3b protein, rat; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D038362:Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3
keywords: AKT; AKT/glycogen synthase kinase 3β; ANP; B-type natriuretic peptide; BNP; Cardiomyocyte; GAPDH; GSK3β; LVEDD; LVESD; PCR; Pressure overload; TAC; Traf2; atrial natriuretic peptide; constriction of transverse aortic; glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; left ventricle end-diastolic diameter; left ventricle end-systolic diameter; polymerase chain reaction; tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 2; β-MHC; β-myosin heavy chain