title: Immunoglobulin M, a novel molecule of myocardial cells of mice.
abstract: Immunoglobulins(Igs)play an important role in host defence and were initially thought to be expressed solely by B cells. However, recent data suggest that Igs are also expressed in other lineages. Recently, Ig transcripts were detected in cardiomyocytes, but whether the functional Ig protein is expressed by cardiomyocytes has not been thoroughly elucidated.
  
  
  
  Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) microarray database analysis was used to analyse IgM heavy chain expression in the myocardium of mice. Immunohistochemistry (IHC), ELISA and Western blot were used to identify IgM in cardiomyocytes of both Balb/c mice and μMT mice (B cell-deficient mice), as well as in cultured cardiomyocytes of neonatal mice and in the myocardial cell line HL-1. Moreover, RT-PCR and cDNA sequencing were used to determine the VDJ rearrangement of the IgM heavy chain.
  
  
  
  In this study, we first analysed transcription of the IgM heavy chain in heart tissue in mice by mining the GEO database, and we observed that IgM heavy chain transcripts were expressed in heart tissues. Subsequently, IgM was found to be expressed in cardiomyocytes in mice; the IgM was primarily localized on the cell membranes and intercalated discs of murine heart cells and in the cytoplasm and cell membranes of isolated cardiomyocytes and HL-1. Importantly, the functional IgM heavy chain transcripts exhibit a unique VDJ rearrangement pattern. Furthermore, IgM can be secreted and deposited in the extracellular space of the myocardium under ischaemic/hypoxic conditions.
  
  
  
  Our data indicate for the first time that IgM is expressed by cardiomyocytes in mice and suggest that its physiological function warrants further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Aerospace Clinical Medical College of Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Meng
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Wenwei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Pingzhang
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoting
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Junfan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: qiuxy@bjmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Aerospace Clinical Medical College of Peking University, Beijing, China. Electronic address: asch369@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
chemical_list: D007075:Immunoglobulin M
keywords: Cardiac; Immunoglobulin M; Ischaemic myocardium IHC immunohistochemistry; VDJ rearrangement