Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in the United States. Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated pathways have been demonstrated to play a role in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. We and others have shown that PI3K/Akt signaling is involved in regulating cellular survival and protecting the myocardium from I/R induced injury. In this dissertation, we provide compelling evidence that miR-125b serves to “fine tune” TLR mediated NF-kB responses by repressing TNF-a and TRAF6 expression. We constructed lentiviral expressing miR-125b, delivered it into the myocardium. The data showed that delivery of lentivirus expressing miR-125b significantly reduces myocardial infarct size and improves cardiac function in I/R hearts. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that miR-125b negatively regulates TLR mediated NF-kB activation pathway by repressing TNF-a and TRAF6 expression in the myocardium. We also observed that transfection of the myocardium with lentivirus expressing miR-214 markedly attenuates I/R induced myocardial infarct size and cardiac dysfunction. We demonstrated that miR-214 activates PI3K/Akt signaling by targeting PTEN expression in the myocardium. We also investigated the role of TLR3 in neonatal heart repair and regeneration following myocardial infarction (MI). Wild type (WT) neonatal mice showed fully cardiac functional recovery and small infarct size, while TLR3 deficient mice exhibited impaired cardiac functional recovery and large infarct area after MI. Poly (I:C), a TLR3 ligand, administration significantly enhances glycolysis, YAP1 activation and the proliferation of WT neonatal cardiomyocytes. 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG), a glycolysis inhibitor treatment abolished cardiac functional recovery and YAP1 activation in neonatal mice after MI. In vitro either inhibition of glycolysis by 2-DG or inhibition of YAP1 activation prevents Poly (I:C) induced YAP1 activation and neonatal cardiomyocyte proliferation. Importantly, YAP1 activation increases miR-152 expression, leading to cardiomyocyte proliferation through suppression P27kip1 and DNMT1 expression. We conclude that microRNAs play an important role in TLR modulation induced protection against myocardial I/R injury by increasing the activation of PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, decreasing TLR/NF-kB mediated inflammatory response, and suppressing activation of apoptotic signaling following myocardial I/R injury. In addition, TLR3 is an essential for neonatal heart repair and regeneration after myocardial infarction. TLR3 modulation could be a novel strategy for heart regeneration and repair.

Apesar dos avanços dos últimos anos, a reposição de cardiomiócitos permanece como um dos maiores desafios da medicina regenerativa. A comprovação da existência de mecanismos endógenos de proliferação cardíaca nos impulsionou a buscar o entendimento dos eventos moleculares envolvidos na proliferação de cardiomiócitos na vida pós-natal. Neste trabalho foi testada a hipótese da influência do metabolismo energético mitocondrial na cardiomiogênese, e seu impacto na regeneração cardíaca. No primeiro momento, foi descrito pela primeira vez o modelo de ressecção apical cardíaca em ratos neonatos. Demonstrou-se que há um período restrito as primeiras 24 horas de vida em que o animal é capaz de regenerar o tecido cardíaco, formando novos cardiomiócitos e permitindo a manutenção da função cardíaca na vida adulta. Esta capacidade é perdida 7 dias após o nascimento, havendo apenas reparo com tecido fibroso e prejuízo à função cardíaca. De maneira interessante, os dados apontaram para hipoperfusão da região apical em ambos os animais ressectados. Isso possivelmente acarretou em dano mitocondrial na vida adulta, sem influenciar a função cardíaca. De maneira a investigar os eventos moleculares da regeneração cardíaca neonatal foi realizado o sequenciamento de RNA dos corações de ratos neonatos de 1 e 7 dias de vida, ressectados e sham, pela técnica de RNASeq, que apontou a relevância da idade nas diferenças de expressão de genes relacionados ao metabolismo, sendo que a intervenção da ressecção pouco influenciou o perfil de expressão gênica. Os resultados mostraram a troca de expressão de isoformas da via glicolítica com a maturação pós-natal, e a hiper-regulação da expressão de genes das vias da ?-oxidação, fosforilação oxidativa e ciclo do ácido tricarboxílico durante o mesmo período. Entretanto, os dados funcionais da atividade metabólica do tecido cardíaco e cultura de cardiomiócitos neonatais mostraram que tanto a glicólise anaeróbia quanto o consumo de oxigênio relacionado à oxidação mitocondrial estiveram elevados no neonato de 1 dia, e foram reduzidos com o desenvolvimento cardíaco. As elevadas taxas de consumo de oxigênio nas culturas de cardiomiócitos de 1 dia de vida foram relacionadas principalmente à produção de ATP. Esses cardiomiócitos foram capazes de proliferar em cultura na presença de soro como estimulador. Assim sendo, as análises de expressão gênica sozinhas pareceram ser indicadores parciais do estado funcional do metabolismo. A inibição não letal da fosforilação oxidativa evidenciou a importância do metabolismo mitocondrial na capacidade proliferativa dos cardiomiócitos na vida pós-natal. Os dados sugerem que o primeiro dia após o nascimento abrange uma alta demanda energética tanto para a diferenciação terminal quanto para a última fase robusta de proliferação de cardiomiócitos na vida pós-natal, e assim evidenciam a importância do metabolismo mitocondrial no processo regenerativo / Despite advances in recent years, the replacement of cardiomyocytes remains one of the biggest challenges in regenerative medicine. The existence of endogenous mechanisms of cardiac proliferation prompted us to seek the understanding of molecular events involved in cardiomyocyte proliferation in postnatal life. In this study, we investigated the influence of mitochondrial energy metabolism in cardiomyogenesis, and its impact on cardiac regeneration. At first, it was described for the first time the model of heart apical resection in neonatal rats, where there is a limited period the first 24 hours of life that animal is able to regenerate cardiac tissue, forming new cardiomyocytes and allowing the maintenance cardiac function in adulthood. This ability is lost seven days after birth, when repair is basically by fibrotic tissue and consequent impairment for heart function. Interestingly, data showed hypoperfusion of the apical region in both resected animals, which possibly resulted in mitochondrial damage in adulthood without affecting heart function. In order to investigate the molecular events of neonatal cardiac regeneration was performed RNA sequencing of hearts from newborn rats with 1 and 7 days of life, resected and sham, which pointed out the importance of age in the different expression of genes related to metabolism, and the intervention of resection had little influence on this. The results showed exchange of expression of enzymes isoforms from glycolytic pathway and hyperregulation of genes from beta-oxidation, oxidative phosphorylation and tricarboxylic acid cycle pathways, during postnatal maturation. However, the functional data of the metabolic activity of cardiac tissue and culture of neonatal cardiomyocytes showed that both anaerobic glycolysis and oxygen consumption related to mitochondrial oxidation were higher in 1-day-old newborns, and were reduced with cardiac development. The high rates of oxygen consumption in 1-day-old cardiomyocytes were related mainly to ATP production. These 1-day-old cardiomyocytes were able to proliferate in culture by serum stimulation. Therefore, the analysis of gene expression alone appeared to be a partial indicator of functional state of metabolism. The non-lethal inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation highlighted the importance of mitochondrial metabolism in the proliferative capacity of cardiomyocytes in postnatal life. Data suggest that the first day after birth covers a high energy demand for both terminal differentiation of cardiac cells and last robust phase of cardiomyocyte proliferation in postnatal life, and show the importance of mitochondrial metabolism in the regenerative process

No description available.

Apesar dos avanços dos últimos anos, a reposição de cardiomiócitos permanece como um dos maiores desafios da medicina regenerativa. A comprovação da existência de mecanismos endógenos de proliferação cardíaca nos impulsionou a buscar o entendimento dos eventos moleculares envolvidos na proliferação de cardiomiócitos na vida pós-natal. Neste trabalho foi testada a hipótese da influência do metabolismo energético mitocondrial na cardiomiogênese, e seu impacto na regeneração cardíaca. No primeiro momento, foi descrito pela primeira vez o modelo de ressecção apical cardíaca em ratos neonatos. Demonstrou-se que há um período restrito as primeiras 24 horas de vida em que o animal é capaz de regenerar o tecido cardíaco, formando novos cardiomiócitos e permitindo a manutenção da função cardíaca na vida adulta. Esta capacidade é perdida 7 dias após o nascimento, havendo apenas reparo com tecido fibroso e prejuízo à função cardíaca. De maneira interessante, os dados apontaram para hipoperfusão da região apical em ambos os animais ressectados. Isso possivelmente acarretou em dano mitocondrial na vida adulta, sem influenciar a função cardíaca. De maneira a investigar os eventos moleculares da regeneração cardíaca neonatal foi realizado o sequenciamento de RNA dos corações de ratos neonatos de 1 e 7 dias de vida, ressectados e sham, pela técnica de RNASeq, que apontou a relevância da idade nas diferenças de expressão de genes relacionados ao metabolismo, sendo que a intervenção da ressecção pouco influenciou o perfil de expressão gênica. Os resultados mostraram a troca de expressão de isoformas da via glicolítica com a maturação pós-natal, e a hiper-regulação da expressão de genes das vias da ?-oxidação, fosforilação oxidativa e ciclo do ácido tricarboxílico durante o mesmo período. Entretanto, os dados funcionais da atividade metabólica do tecido cardíaco e cultura de cardiomiócitos neonatais mostraram que tanto a glicólise anaeróbia quanto o consumo de oxigênio relacionado à oxidação mitocondrial estiveram elevados no neonato de 1 dia, e foram reduzidos com o desenvolvimento cardíaco. As elevadas taxas de consumo de oxigênio nas culturas de cardiomiócitos de 1 dia de vida foram relacionadas principalmente à produção de ATP. Esses cardiomiócitos foram capazes de proliferar em cultura na presença de soro como estimulador. Assim sendo, as análises de expressão gênica sozinhas pareceram ser indicadores parciais do estado funcional do metabolismo. A inibição não letal da fosforilação oxidativa evidenciou a importância do metabolismo mitocondrial na capacidade proliferativa dos cardiomiócitos na vida pós-natal. Os dados sugerem que o primeiro dia após o nascimento abrange uma alta demanda energética tanto para a diferenciação terminal quanto para a última fase robusta de proliferação de cardiomiócitos na vida pós-natal, e assim evidenciam a importância do metabolismo mitocondrial no processo regenerativo / Despite advances in recent years, the replacement of cardiomyocytes remains one of the biggest challenges in regenerative medicine. The existence of endogenous mechanisms of cardiac proliferation prompted us to seek the understanding of molecular events involved in cardiomyocyte proliferation in postnatal life. In this study, we investigated the influence of mitochondrial energy metabolism in cardiomyogenesis, and its impact on cardiac regeneration. At first, it was described for the first time the model of heart apical resection in neonatal rats, where there is a limited period the first 24 hours of life that animal is able to regenerate cardiac tissue, forming new cardiomyocytes and allowing the maintenance cardiac function in adulthood. This ability is lost seven days after birth, when repair is basically by fibrotic tissue and consequent impairment for heart function. Interestingly, data showed hypoperfusion of the apical region in both resected animals, which possibly resulted in mitochondrial damage in adulthood without affecting heart function. In order to investigate the molecular events of neonatal cardiac regeneration was performed RNA sequencing of hearts from newborn rats with 1 and 7 days of life, resected and sham, which pointed out the importance of age in the different expression of genes related to metabolism, and the intervention of resection had little influence on this. The results showed exchange of expression of enzymes isoforms from glycolytic pathway and hyperregulation of genes from beta-oxidation, oxidative phosphorylation and tricarboxylic acid cycle pathways, during postnatal maturation. However, the functional data of the metabolic activity of cardiac tissue and culture of neonatal cardiomyocytes showed that both anaerobic glycolysis and oxygen consumption related to mitochondrial oxidation were higher in 1-day-old newborns, and were reduced with cardiac development. The high rates of oxygen consumption in 1-day-old cardiomyocytes were related mainly to ATP production. These 1-day-old cardiomyocytes were able to proliferate in culture by serum stimulation. Therefore, the analysis of gene expression alone appeared to be a partial indicator of functional state of metabolism. The non-lethal inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation highlighted the importance of mitochondrial metabolism in the proliferative capacity of cardiomyocytes in postnatal life. Data suggest that the first day after birth covers a high energy demand for both terminal differentiation of cardiac cells and last robust phase of cardiomyocyte proliferation in postnatal life, and show the importance of mitochondrial metabolism in the regenerative process

Les expériences suivantes testent l’hypothèse que la sérine/thréonine kinase p38α/β MAPK inhibe la rentrée dans le cycle cellulaire des cardiomyocytes ventriculaires de rats nouveau-nés (CVRNs), et induit l’expression d’un panel de cytokines/chimiokines inflammatoires. Le traitement des CVRNs par le phorbol 12,13-butyrate (PDBu), activateur de la protéine kinase C (PKC), aboutit au recrutement de l’isoforme conventionnelle (PKC-α) et des isoformes nouvelles (PKC-δ et PKC-ε) de PKC en l’absence de la rentrée dans le cycle cellulaire. Cette absence d’entrée dans le cycle cellulaire à la suite du traitement par PDBu est associée à une augmentation d’expression des ARNm des gènes qui bloquent la rentrée dans le cycle cellulaire. Les gènes comprennent Runx1(Runt-related transcription factor 1) et CDKN2a (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A) également connu sous le nom de p16, inhibiteur du cycle cellulaire. En présence de l’inhibiteur de p38α/β MAPK, SB203580, le traitement PDBu induit une entrée dans le cycle cellulaire de deux populations distinctes de cardiomyocytes caractérisées par l’absence ou l’expression de novo de la protéine filamenteuse Nestine. En parallèle, le co-traitement PDBu/SB203580 atténue l’augmentation du niveau d’expression de l’ARNm de Runx1 et CDKN2a. L’inhibition pharmacologique du recrutement de PKC-α par GF109203X, inhibe sélectivement la rentrée dans le cycle cellulaire des CVRNs qui présentent une expression de novo de Nestine. En parallèle, le traitement par PDBu augmente le niveau d’ARNm d’un panel de cytokines inflammatoires et la co-administration de SB203580 inhibe cette réponse. Ces données révèlent que le cœur des rats nouveau-nés contient deux sous-populations distinctes de cardiomyocytes ventriculaires qui rentrent dans le cycle cellulaire à la suite d’un co-traitement PDBu / SB203580, et que la réponse proliférative est associée à une diminution des cytokines inflammatoires. Collectivement, ces résultats mettent en relief une nouvelle prémisse selon laquelle le recrutement de p38α/β MAPK médié par PKC-α joue un rôle central dans l’inhibition de l’entrée dans le cycle cellulaire et induit une réponse inflammatoire robuste par les CRVNs. / The following experiments test the hypothesis that the serine/threonine kinase p38α/β MAPK inhibits the cell cycle re-entry of neonatal rat ventricular cardiomyocytes (NNVMs) and induces the expression of a panel of inflammatory cytokines/chemokines. Treatment of NNVMs with phorbol 12,13-butyrate (PDBu), an activator of protein kinase C (PKC), results in the recruitment of the conventional isoform (PKC-α) and novel isoforms (PKC-δ and PKC-ε) of PKC in the absence of cell cycle re-entry. This lack of cell cycle re-entry following PDBu treatment is associated with an increase in the expression of mRNA of genes that inhibit cell cycle re-entry. These genes include Runx1 (Runt-related transcription factor 1) and CDKN2a (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A), also known as p16, a cell cycle inhibitor. In the presence of the p38α/β MAPK inhibitor, SB203580, PDBu treatment induces cell cycle re-entry in two distinct populations of cardiomyocytes characterized by the absence or de novo expression of the filamentous protein Nestin. In parallel, co-treatment with PDBu/SB203580 attenuates the increase in Runx1 and CDKN2a mRNA levels. Pharmacological inhibition of PKC-α recruitment by GF109203X selectively inhibits cell cycle re-entry of NNVMs exhibiting de novo Nestin expression. Additionally, PDBu treatment increases the mRNA levels of a panel of inflammatory cytokines, and co-administration of SB203580 inhibits this response. These data reveal that the heart of neonatal rats contain two distinct subpopulations of ventricular cardiomyocytes that re-enter the cell cycle following PDBu/SB203580 co-treatment, and that the proliferative response is associated with a decrease in inflammatory cytokines. Collectively, these results highlight a novel premise whereby p38α/β MAPK recruitment mediated by PKC-α plays a central role in inhibiting cell cycle re-entry and induces a robust inflammatory response by NNVMs.

No description available.