Calcium release through cardiac ryanodine receptors (RyR2) triggers heart muscle contraction. Reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), normally produced in the heart, promote endogenous RyR2 S-nitrosylation and S-glutathionylation. These reversible redox modifications increase RyR2 activity in vitro, and presumably also in vivo. RyR2 S-glutathionylation increases under physiologically relevant conditions (tachycardia and exercise), suggesting that cardiac cells utilize this redox modification to increase RyR2 activity under increased demand. In contrast, in vivo changes in RyR2 S-nitrosylation in response to physiological stimuli remain uncharacterized. The number and identity of the highly reactive RyR2 cysteine residues and the nature of the redox modification they undergo are presently unknown. Likewise, the physiological sources of ROS/RNS responsible for functionally relevant RyR2 redox modifications have not been completely identified. The redox state of RyR2 is altered in heart failure leading to enhanced RyR2 activity, which presumably contributes to decrease SR calcium content and induce other calcium release abnormalities observed in heart failure. Greater understanding of RyR2 redox modulation is necessary to counteract the deleterious consequences of RyR2 activity deregulation caused by oxidative stress.

Our objective was to investigate in cardiac muscle the contribution of NADPH oxidase to (a) ryanodine receptor-2 (RyR2) S-glutathionylation and (b) the preconditioning effects of exercise and tachycardia on infarct size following coronary artery occlusion. We measured NADPH oxidase activity, RyR2 S-glutathionylation, and calcium release kinetics in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) vesicles isolated from dog ventricular muscle after exercise and tachycardia, plus or minus prior administration of the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin. In ventricular muscle sections, we studied the colocalization of NADPH oxidase and RyR2 by confocal microscopy using fluorescent antibodies. We determined the effect of apocynin on the infarct size produced by occlusion of the descendent anterior coronary artery in animals preconditioned by exercise or tachycardia. Exercise and tachycardia increased NADPH oxidase activity, RyR2 S-glutathionylation, and calcium release rates in isolated SR vesicles. Cardiac muscle sections displayed significant colocalization of NADPH oxidase and RyR2, suggesting direct and specific effects of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by NADPH oxidase on RyR2 activation. The NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin prevented the increase in RyR2 S-glutathionylation, reduced calcium release activity, and completely prevented the protective effects of exercise and tachycardia on infarct size. The loss of cardioprotection induced by the NADPH oxidase inhibitor suggests that ROS generated by this enzyme are important mediators of the preconditioning response, which presumably involves NADPH oxidase-induced RyR2 S-glutathionylation.

Ventricular arrhythmias are a common cause of sudden cardiac death, and their occurrence is higher in obese subjects. Abnormal gating of ryanodine receptors (RyR2), the calcium release channels of the sarcoplasmic reticulum, can produce ventricular arrhythmias. Since obesity promotes oxidative stress and RyR2 are redox-sensitive channels, we investigated whether the RyR2 activity was altered in obese mice. Mice fed a high fat diet (HFD) became obese after eight weeks and exhibited a significant increase in the occurrence of ventricular arrhythmias. Single RyR2 channels isolated from the hearts of obese mice were more active in planar bilayers than those isolated from the hearts of the control mice. At the molecular level, RyR2 channels from HFD-fed mice had substantially fewer free thiol residues, suggesting that redox modifications were responsible for the higher activity. Apocynin, provided in the drinking water, completely prevented the appearance of ventricular arrhythmias in HFD-fed mice, and normalized the activity and content of the free thiol residues of the protein. HFD increased the expression of NOX4, an isoform of NADPH oxidase, in the heart. Our results suggest that HFD increases the activity of RyR2 channels via a redox-dependent mechanism, favoring the appearance of ventricular arrhythmias.

The heart is critically dependent on mitochondrial respiration for energy supply. Ischemia decreases oxygen availability, with catastrophic consequences for cellular energy systems. After a few minutes of ischemia, the mitochondrial respiratory chain halts, ATP levels drop and ion gradients across cell membranes collapse. Activation of cellular proteases and generation of reactive oxygen species by mitochondria during ischemia alter mitochondrial membrane permeability, causing mitochondrial swelling and fragmentation and eventually cell death. The mitochondria, therefore, are important targets of cardioprotection against ischemic injury. We have previously shown that ixazomib (IXA), a proteasome inhibitor used for treating multiple myeloma, effectively reduced the size of the infarct produced by global ischemia in isolated rat hearts and prevented degradation of the sarcoplasmic reticulum calcium release channel RyR2. The aim of this work was to further characterize the protective effect of IXA by determining its effect on mitochondrial morphology and function after ischemia. We also quantified the effect of IXA on levels of mitofusin-2, a protein involved in maintaining mitochondrial morphology and mitochondria-SR communication. We found that mitochondria were significantly preserved and functional parameters such as oxygen consumption, the ability to generate a membrane potential, and glutathione content were improved in mitochondria isolated from hearts perfused with IXA prior to ischemia. IXA also blocked the release of cytochrome c observed in ischemia and significantly preserved mitofusin-2 integrity. These beneficial effects resulted in a significant decrease in the left ventricular end diastolic pressure upon reperfusion and a smaller infarct in isolated hearts.

Cardiomyopathy is commonly observed in patients with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), even when they have normal renal function and arterial pressure. The role of cardiomyocyte polycystin-1 (PC1) in cardiovascular pathophysiology remains unknown. PC1 is a potential regulator of BIN1 that maintains T-tubule structure, and alterations in BIN1 expression induce cardiac pathologies. We used a cardiomyocyte-specific PC1-silenced (PC1-KO) mouse model to explore the relevance of cardiomyocyte PC1 in the development of heart failure (HF), considering reduced BIN1 expression induced T-tubule remodeling as a potential mechanism. PC1-KO mice exhibited an impairment of cardiac function, as measured by echocardiography, but no signs of HF until 7–9 months of age. Of the PC1-KO mice, 43% died suddenly at 7 months of age, and 100% died after 9 months with dilated cardiomyopathy. Total BIN1 mRNA, protein levels, and its localization in plasma membrane-enriched fractions decreased in PC1-KO mice. Moreover, the BIN1 + 13 isoform decreased while the BIN1 + 13 + 17 isoform was overexpressed in mice without signs of HF. However, BIN1 + 13 + 17 overexpression was not observed in mice with HF. T-tubule remodeling and BIN1 score measured in plasma samples were associated with decreased PC1-BIN1 expression and HF development. Our results show that decreased PC1 expression in cardiomyocytes induces dilated cardiomyopathy associated with diminished BIN1 expression and T-tubule remodeling. In conclusion, positive modulation of BIN1 expression by PC1 suggests a novel pathway that may be relevant to understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to cardiomyopathy in ADPKD patients.

Inhibitors of the ubiquitin-proteasome system improve hemodynamic parameters and decrease the infarct size after ischemia reperfusion. The molecular basis of this protection is not fully understood since most available data report inhibition of the 26 proteasome after ischemia reperfusion. The decrease in cellular ATP levels during ischemia leads to the dissociation of the 26S proteasome into the 19S regulatory complex and the 20S catalytic core, which results in protein degradation independently of ubiquitination. There is scarce information on the activity of the 20S proteasome during cardiac ischemia. Accordingly, the aim of this work was to determine the effects of 30 minutes of ischemia, or 30 min of ischemia followed by 60 minutes of reperfusion on the three main peptidase activities of the 20S proteasome in Langendorff perfused rat hearts. We found that 30 min of ischemia produced a significant increase in the chymotrypsin-like activity of the proteasome, without changes in its caspase-like or trypsin-like activities. In contrast, all three activities were decreased upon reperfusion. Ixazomib, perfused before ischemia at a concentration that reduced the chymotrypsin-like activity to 50% of the control values, without affecting the other proteasomal activities, improved the hemodynamic parameters upon reperfusion and decreased the infarct size. Ixazomib also prevented the 50% reduction in RyR2 content observed after ischemia. The protection was lost, however, when simultaneous inhibition of chymotrypsin-like and caspase-like activities of the proteasome was achieved at higher concentration of ixazomib. Our results suggest that selective inhibition of chymotrypsin-like activity of the proteasome during ischemia preserves key proteins for cardiomyocyte function and exerts a positive impact on cardiac performance after reperfusion.