Background Hemodynamic load regulates myocardial function and gene expression. We tested the hypothesis that afterload and preload despite similar average load result in different phenotypes. Methods and Results Afterload and preload were compared in mice with transversal aortic constriction (TAC) and aorto-caval shunt (Shunt). When compared to sham mice, six hours after surgery, systolic wall stress (afterload) was increased in TAC (+40%, P<0.05), diastolic wall stress (preload) was increased in Shunt (+277%, P<0.05) and TAC (+74%, P<0.05) and mean total wall stress was similarly increased in TAC (69%) and Shunt (67%) (TAC vs. Shunt: not significant (n.s.), each P<0.05 vs. Sham). At 1 week, left ventricular weight/tibia length was significantly increased by 22% in TAC and 29% in Shunt (n.s. TAC vs. Shunt). After 24 hours and 1 week, calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) signaling was increased in TAC. This resulted in altered calcium cycling, including increased L-type calcium current, calcium transients, fractional SR release and calcium spark frequency. In Shunt, Akt phosphorylation was increased. TAC was associated with inflammation, fibrosis and cardiomyocyte apoptosis. The latter was significantly reduced in CaMKIIδ-KO TAC mice. 157 mRNAs and 13 microRNAs were differentially regulated in TAC vs. Shunt. After 8 weeks, fractional shortening was lower and mortality higher in TAC Conclusions Afterload results in maladaptive fibrotic hypertrophy with CaMKII-dependent altered calcium cycling and apoptosis. Preload is associated with Akt activation without fibrosis, little apoptosis, better function and lower mortality. This indicates that different loads result in distinct phenotype differences which may require specific pharmacological interventions.

Background Atrial fibrillation is a growing public health problem without adequate therapies. Angiotensin II (Ang II) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are validated risk factors for atrial fibrillation (AF) in patients, but the molecular pathway(s) connecting ROS and AF is unknown. The Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) has recently emerged as a ROS activated proarrhythmic signal, so we hypothesized that oxidized CaMKIIδ(ox-CaMKII) could contribute to AF. Methods and Results We found ox-CaMKII was increased in atria from AF patients compared to patients in sinus rhythm and from mice infused with Ang II compared with saline. Ang II treated mice had increased susceptibility to AF compared to saline treated WT mice, establishing Ang II as a risk factor for AF in mice. Knock in mice lacking critical oxidation sites in CaMKIIδ (MM-VV) and mice with myocardial-restricted transgenic over-expression of methionine sulfoxide reductase A (MsrA TG), an enzyme that reduces ox-CaMKII, were resistant to AF induction after Ang II infusion. Conclusions Our studies suggest that CaMKII is a molecular signal that couples increased ROS with AF and that therapeutic strategies to decrease ox-CaMKII may prevent or reduce AF.

Diabetes increases oxidant stress and doubles the risk of dying after myocardial infarction, but the mechanisms underlying increased mortality are unknown. Mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetes developed profound heart rate slowing and doubled mortality compared with controls after myocardial infarction. Oxidized Ca 2+ /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (ox-CaMKII) was significantly increased in pacemaker tissues from diabetic patients compared with that in nondiabetic patients after myocardial infarction. Streptozotocin-treated mice had increased pacemaker cell ox-CaMKII and apoptosis, which were further enhanced by myocardial infarction. We developed a knockin mouse model of oxidation-resistant CaMKIIδ (MM-VV), the isoform associated with cardiovascular disease. Streptozotocin-treated MM-VV mice and WT mice infused with MitoTEMPO, a mitochondrial targeted antioxidant, expressed significantly less ox-CaMKII, exhibited increased pacemaker cell survival, maintained normal heart rates, and were resistant to diabetes-attributable mortality after myocardial infarction. Our findings suggest that activation of a mitochondrial/ox-CaMKII pathway contributes to increased sudden death in diabetic patients after myocardial infarction.

Significance: In heart failure (HF), contractile dysfunction and arrhythmias result from disturbed intracellular Ca handling. Activated stress kinases like cAMP-dependent protein kinase A (PKA), protein kinase C (PKC), and Ca/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), which are known to influence many Ca-regulatory proteins, are mechanistically involved. Recent Advances: Beside classical activation pathways, it is becoming increasingly evident that reactive oxygen species (ROS) can directly oxidize these kinases, leading to alternative activation. Since HF is associated with increased ROS generation, ROS-activated serine/threonine kinases may play a crucial role in the disturbance of cellular Ca homeostasis. Many of the previously described ROS effects on ion channels and transporters are possibly mediated by these stress kinases. For instance, ROS have been shown to oxidize and activate CaMKII, thereby increasing Na influx through voltage-gated Na channels, which can lead to intracellular Na accumulation and action potential prolongation. Consequently, Ca entry via activated NCX is favored, which together with ROS-induced dysfunction of the sarcoplasmic reticulum can lead to dramatic intracellular Ca accumulation, diminished contractility, and arrhythmias. Critical Issues: While low amounts of ROS may regulate kinase activity, excessive uncontrolled ROS production may lead to direct redox modification of Ca handling proteins. Therefore, depending on the source and amount of ROS generated, ROS could have very different effects on Ca-handling proteins. Future Directions: The discrimination between fine-tuned ROS signaling and unspecific ROS damage may be crucial for the understanding of heart failure development and important for the investigation of targeted treatment strategies.

Heart rate increases are a fundamental adaptation to physiological stress, while inappropriate heart rate increases are resistant to current therapies. However, the metabolic mechanisms driving heart rate acceleration in cardiac pacemaker cells remain incompletely understood. The mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) facilitates calcium entry into the mitochondrial matrix to stimulate metabolism. We developed mice with myocardial MCU inhibition by transgenic expression of a dominant negative (DN) MCU. Here we show that DN-MCU mice had normal resting heart rates but were incapable of physiological fight or flight heart rate acceleration. We found MCU function was essential for rapidly increasing mitochondrial calcium in pacemaker cells and that MCU enhanced oxidative phoshorylation was required to accelerate reloading of an intracellular calcium compartment prior to each heartbeat. Our findings show the MCU is necessary for complete physiological heart rate acceleration and suggest MCU inhibition could reduce inappropriate heart rate increases without affecting resting heart rate.

Abstract-The role of the neuronal NO synthase (nNOS or NOS1) enzyme in the control of cardiac function still remains unclear. Results from nNOS Ϫ/Ϫ mice or from pharmacological inhibition of nNOS are contradictory and do not pay tribute to the fact that probably spatial confinement of the nNOS enzyme is of major importance. We hypothesize that the close proximity of nNOS and certain effector molecules like L-type Ca 2ϩ -channels has an impact on myocardial contractility. To test this, we generated a new transgenic mouse model allowing conditional, myocardial specific nNOS overexpression. Western blot analysis of transgenic nNOS overexpression showed a 6-fold increase in nNOS protein expression compared with noninduced littermates (nϭ12; PϽ0.01). Measuring of total NOS activity by conversion of [3 H]-L-arginine to [ 3 H]-L-citrulline showed a 30% increase in nNOS overexpressing mice (nϭ18; PϽ0.05). After a 2 week induction, nNOS overexpression mice showed reduced myocardial contractility. In vivo examinations of the nNOS overexpressing mice revealed a 17Ϯ3% decrease of ϩdp/dt max compared with noninduced mice (PϽ0.05). Likewise, ejection fraction was reduced significantly (42% versus 65%; nϭ15; PϽ0.05). Interestingly, coimmunoprecipitation experiments indicated interaction of nNOS with SR Ca 2ϩ ATPase and additionally with L-type Ca 2ϩ -channels in nNOS overexpressing animals. Accordingly, in adult isolated cardiac myocytes, I Ca,L density was significantly decreased in the nNOS overexpressing cells. Intracellular Ca 2ϩ -transients and fractional shortening in cardiomyocytes were also clearly impaired in nNOS overexpressing mice versus noninduced littermates. In conclusion, conditional myocardial specific overexpression of nNOS in a transgenic animal model reduced myocardial contractility. We suggest that nNOS might suppress the function of L-type Ca 2ϩ -channels and in turn reduces Ca 2ϩ -transients which accounts for the negative inotropic effect. (Circ Res. 2007;100:e32-e44.) Key Words: nNOS Ⅲ contractility Ⅲ excitation Ⅲ contraction coupling Ⅲ conditional overexpression S everal studies have demonstrated neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) protein expression within cardiac myocytes. 1 Specifically, nNOS has been localized to the sarcolemma 2,3 and the sarcoplasmatic reticulum (SR), 4 where it has been shown to be in close proximity to the SR Ca 2ϩ -release channel (RyR2) 5 and the SR Ca 2ϩ ATPase. However, the impact of nNOS on myocardial contractility remains largely controversial. Results from nNOS Ϫ/Ϫ mice and from pharmacological inhibition of nNOS provided insights into the role of nNOS in the cardiovascular system. But these approaches suffer from complete nNOS blockade and did not take into account a possible translocation of nNOS to specific subcellular sites. Some authors have shown, that inhibition of nNOS activity, via gene disruption or by pharmacological inhibition, enhanced basal contractility. 7,8 In the latter study, the positive inotropic effects of nNOS inhibition or gene disruption were related to ...

Asthma is a disease of acute and chronic inflammation in which cytokines play a critical role in orchestrating the allergic inflammatory response. IL-13 and transforming growth factor (TGF)-b promote fibrotic airway remodeling, a major contributor to disease severity. Improved understanding is needed, because current therapies are inadequate for suppressing development of airway fibrosis. IL-13 is known to stimulate respiratory epithelial cells to produce TGF-b, but the mechanism through which this occurs is unknown. Here, we tested the hypothesis that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are a critical signaling intermediary between IL-13 or allergen stimulation and TGF-b-dependent airway remodeling. We used cultured human bronchial epithelial cells and an in vivo mouse model of allergic asthma to map a pathway where allergens enhanced mitochondrial ROS, which is an essential upstream signal for TGF-b activation and enhanced collagen production and deposition in airway fibroblasts. We show that mitochondria in airway epithelium are an essential source of ROS that activate TGF-b expression and activity. TGF-b from airway epithelium stimulates collagen expression in fibroblasts, contributing to an early fibrotic response to allergen exposure in cultured human airway cells and in ovalbumin-challenged mice. Treatment with the mitochondrialtargeted antioxidant, (2-(2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl-4-ylamino)-2-oxoethyl)triphenylphosphonium chloride (mitoTEMPO), significantly attenuated mitochondrial ROS, TGF-b, and collagen deposition in OVA-challenged mice and in cultured human epithelial cells. Our findings suggest that mitochondria are a critical source of ROS for promoting TGF-b activity that contributes to airway remodeling in allergic asthma. Mitochondrial-targeted antioxidants may be a novel approach for future asthma therapies.

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