title: Enhancement of beta-catenin in cardiomyocytes suppresses survival protein expression but promotes apoptosis and fibrosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Beta-catenin has been implicated in cell-cell communication in a wide variety of developmental and physiological processes. Defective Wnt signaling could result in various cardiac and vascular abnormalities. Little is known regarding Wnt/frizzled pathway in cardiomyocyte apoptosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, the role of b-catenin in apoptosis was investigated in H9c2 cardiomyocytes and primary cardiomyocytes isolated in diabetic Wistar rats. The cardiomyocytes were transfected with porcine cytomegalovirus (pCMV)-b-catenin plasmid in order to overexpress b-catenin.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The transcription factor displayed a significant nuclear localization in Wistar rats with cardiac hypertension. Transfection of b-catenin plasmid induced apoptosis and reduced expression of survival pathway markers in cardiomyocytes in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, expression of fibrosis protein markers was upregulated by the overexpression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together, these results revealed that altered Wnt/b-catenin signaling might provoke heart failure. (Cardiol J 2017; 24, 2: 195-205).
authors.forename: James C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Wei-Wen
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.forename: Rathinasamy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baskaran
authors.forename: Ming-Cheng
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Tsung-Jung
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Ray-Jade
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ya-Fang
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Viswanadha
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vijaya Padma
authors.forename: Ing-Shiow
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Lay
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Science, School of Medicine, China Medical University and Hospital, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. cyhuang@mail.cmu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Chih-Yang
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D017209:Apoptosis; D015153:Blotting, Western; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013552:Swine; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D051176:beta Catenin
keywords: apoptosis; b-catenin; cardiomyocytes; fibrosis; survival pathway