Drinkhill, M. J. | bioRxiv Science

bioRxiv2020

Comparison of changes in electrical activity, in isolated and in vivo hearts, induced by voluntary exercise in female rats

Regular mild exercise is recommended to the general population as beneficial to health. Regular exercise typically leads to structural and electrical remodelling of the heart but in human studies it is difficult to relate the extrinsic and intrinsic influences on intact hearts to changes seen at the single cell level. In this study we wished to test whether changes in electrical activity in intact hearts, in response to voluntary wheel running exercise training, were consistent with our previous observations in single cardiac myocytes and whether these changes resulted in altered susceptibility to arrhythmic stimuli. Female rats performed 5 weeks of voluntary wheel running. Implanted telemetry transmitters were used to measure electrocardiograms (ECGs) and determine heart rate variability (HRV) in conscious, unrestrained, trained (TRN) and sedentary (SED) animals. In isolated hearts, left ventricular epicardial monophasic action potentials (MAPs) were recorded and the responses to potentially arrhythmic interventions were assessed. Exercise training caused cardiac hypertrophy, as indexed by a significantly greater heart weight to body weight ratio. Consistent with previous measurements of action potential duration in single myocytes, MAPs were significantly longer at 50%, 75% and 90% repolarization. Arrhythmic susceptibility was not different between SED and TRN hearts. Trained animals displayed significantly altered HRV by week 5, in a manner consistent with reduced sympathetic tone, however resting ECG parameters, including those most associated with repolarisation duration, were unaltered. We conclude that intrinsic changes to cellular cardiac electrophysiology, induced by mild voluntary exercise, are not attenuated by the electronic loading that occurs in intact hearts. However, in vivo, extrinsic neuro-hormonal control of the heart may minimize the effects of intrinsic alterations in electrical activity.

physiology↗

bioRxiv2019

Stimulation of cardiac fibroblast Piezo1 channels opposes myofibroblast differentiation and induces IL-6 secretion via Ca2+-mediated p38 MAP kinase activation

Piezo1 is a mechanosensitive cation channel with widespread physiological importance; however its role in the heart is poorly understood. Cardiac fibroblasts are responsible for preserving the structural integrity of the myocardium and play a key role in regulating its repair and remodeling following stress or injury. We investigated expression and function of Piezo1 in cultured human and mouse cardiac fibroblasts. RT-PCR studies confirmed expression of Piezo1 mRNA in cardiac fibroblasts at similar levels to endothelial cells. Fura-2 intracellular Ca2+ measurements validated Piezo1 as a functional ion channel that was activated by the Piezo1 agonist, Yoda1. Yoda1-induced Ca2+ entry was inhibited by Piezo1 blockers (gadolinium, ruthenium red) and the Ca2+ response was reduced proportionally by Piezo1 siRNA knockdown or in cells from Piezo1+/- mice. Investigation of Yoda1 effects on selected remodeling genes indicated that Piezo1 activation opposed cardiac fibroblast differentiation; data confirmed by functional collagen gel contraction assays. Piezo1 activation using Yoda1 or mechanical stretch also increased the expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6), a mechanosensitive pro-hypertrophic and pro-fibrotic cytokine, in a Piezo1-dependent manner. Multiplex kinase activity profiling combined with kinase inhibitor studies and phospho-specific western blotting, established that Piezo1 activation stimulated IL-6 secretion via a pathway involving p38 MAP kinase, downstream of Ca2+ entry. In summary, this study reveals that cardiac fibroblasts express functional Piezo1 channels coupled to reduced myofibroblast activation and increased secretion of paracrine signaling molecules that can modulate cardiac remodeling.

cell biology↗