Cardiomyopathies represent a heterogeneous group of diseases of the heart muscle that often lead to progressive heart failure with high morbidity and mortality. In a significant and increasing percentage of the patient population, cardiomyopathies have been associated with hereditary mutations in genes encoding critical cellular components that make up the cytoarchitecture of cardiac muscle cells, or cardiomyocytes. While specific mutations have been linked to different classes of cardiomyopathies, it is however not well understood how these mutations cause cytostructural abnormalities that ultimately lead to dysfunction of cardiomyocytes. To gain insights into the pathogenesis of inherited cardiomyopathies, we focus in this thesis on a particular set of mutations in the cardiac cytoskeleton and desmosomes that are associated with dilated and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathies, and probe their pathogenic mechanisms using cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells and bioengineered culture platforms. In part one, we describe the mechanical and molecular basis for the assembly of sarcomeres, the fundamental contractile units within cardiomyocytes, and reveal how mutations in titin (TTN) abolish this process by disrupting cell-matrix interaction and impairing diastolic force generation, a hallmark of dilated cardiomyopathy. In the second part of this thesis, we reveal that plakophilin-2 (PKP2) mutations that are associated with arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy lead to impaired systolic function by destabilizing cell-cell junctions and in turn disrupting sarcomere stability and organization. Together, our studies establish a deeper understanding of how cell-matrix and cell-cell interactions contribute to the organization and function of cardiomyocytes and how disruption of these interactions by pathogenic mutations lead to cardiac dysfunction. / 2022-05-18T00:00:00Z

O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar o efeito da sobrecarga de leucina no músculo sóleo de ratos submetidos à DGO (Distração Gradual Osteogênica). Vinte e cinco ratos Wistar foram divididos em 5 grupos: controle, sham-lengthening, leucina, DGO e DGO+leucina. A DGO de 2mm/dia foi realizada na tíbia até um ganho de 20% e a sobrecarga de leucina (114mM) foi administrada oralmente. Avaliou-se: estrutura histológica muscular, número de sarcômeros em série, área dos diferentes tipos de fibras musculares e análise do tecido conjuntivo. Os dados obtidos dos cortes histológicos mostram que a DGO promoveu intensa lesão muscular e aumento do tecido conjuntivo, o que foi minimizado pela leucina. Houve uma adição no número de sarcômeros em série (26%) durante a DGO, que foi intensificada pela leucina (33%). Observou-se uma diminuição da área de todos os tipos de fibras com a DGO e um aumento da área das fibras do tipo I com a leucina. Portanto, a leucina minimizou os efeitos causados pela DGO, podendo esta ser utilizada como um agente terapêutico durante a DGO no futuro. / The goal of the present study was to investigate the effect of leucine overload in the rat soleus muscle before and along DGO (Gradual Distraction Osteogenesis). Twenty five male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups: control, sham-lengthening, leucine, DGO and DGO+leucine. The DGO was 2mm/day and the leucine overload (114mM) was administrated orally. Subsequently analyzed: histological cross-section, sarcomere serial number and cross-sectional area of the types fibers and connective tissue. The histological data showed that the DGO promoted intense injury and increase of connective tissue, which can be minimized by leucine. The sarcomere serial number increased by ~26% and leucine overload increased this gain to 33%. The fibers types showed a decrease of the cross-section area of the all type fibers with the DGO and increase of the type I fibers area with leucine overload. We conclude that leucine overload is a potential therapeutical device in DGO, seeking improvement of skeletal muscle longitudinal growth.

O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar o efeito da sobrecarga de leucina no músculo sóleo de ratos submetidos à DGO (Distração Gradual Osteogênica). Vinte e cinco ratos Wistar foram divididos em 5 grupos: controle, sham-lengthening, leucina, DGO e DGO+leucina. A DGO de 2mm/dia foi realizada na tíbia até um ganho de 20% e a sobrecarga de leucina (114mM) foi administrada oralmente. Avaliou-se: estrutura histológica muscular, número de sarcômeros em série, área dos diferentes tipos de fibras musculares e análise do tecido conjuntivo. Os dados obtidos dos cortes histológicos mostram que a DGO promoveu intensa lesão muscular e aumento do tecido conjuntivo, o que foi minimizado pela leucina. Houve uma adição no número de sarcômeros em série (26%) durante a DGO, que foi intensificada pela leucina (33%). Observou-se uma diminuição da área de todos os tipos de fibras com a DGO e um aumento da área das fibras do tipo I com a leucina. Portanto, a leucina minimizou os efeitos causados pela DGO, podendo esta ser utilizada como um agente terapêutico durante a DGO no futuro. / The goal of the present study was to investigate the effect of leucine overload in the rat soleus muscle before and along DGO (Gradual Distraction Osteogenesis). Twenty five male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups: control, sham-lengthening, leucine, DGO and DGO+leucine. The DGO was 2mm/day and the leucine overload (114mM) was administrated orally. Subsequently analyzed: histological cross-section, sarcomere serial number and cross-sectional area of the types fibers and connective tissue. The histological data showed that the DGO promoted intense injury and increase of connective tissue, which can be minimized by leucine. The sarcomere serial number increased by ~26% and leucine overload increased this gain to 33%. The fibers types showed a decrease of the cross-section area of the all type fibers with the DGO and increase of the type I fibers area with leucine overload. We conclude that leucine overload is a potential therapeutical device in DGO, seeking improvement of skeletal muscle longitudinal growth.