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Isolation, Culture and Transduction of Adult Mouse Cardiomyocytes
08:42

Isolation, Culture and Transduction of Adult Mouse Cardiomyocytes

Published on: August 28, 2016

Regulation of growth in the adult cardiomyocytes

K D Schlüter1, H M Piper

  • 1Physiologisches Institut, Justus-Liebig-Universität, D-35392 Giessen, Germany.

FASEB Journal : Official Publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
|June 3, 1999
PubMed

Insights

Adult cardiomyocytes grow via hypertrophic signaling pathways, distinct from neonatal cells. Microgravity alters myocardial growth through systemic and direct cellular effects, impacting cardiac adaptation.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Cellular Biology
  • Space Medicine

Background:

  • Adult cardiomyocytes increase cellular mass via hypertrophy, not proliferation, in response to stimuli like growth hormones and mechanical load.
  • Alpha1-adrenoceptor stimulation in adult cardiomyocytes involves protein kinase C (PKC) activation, leading to distinct signaling pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To detail the signaling pathways of cardiomyocyte growth, focusing on adult cells and comparing them to neonatal responses.
  • To explore the impact of microgravity on myocardial growth regulation, considering both systemic and cellular effects.

Main Methods:

  • Investigated signal transduction pathways, including protein kinase C (PKC), mitogen-activated protein kinase, and PI3-kinase/p70(s6k).
  • Compared growth mechanisms in neonatal and adult cardiomyocytes, including responses to mechanical stretch and autocrine factors.
  • Analyzed systemic and cellular effects of microgravity on myocardial growth.

Main Results:

  • Adult cardiomyocyte growth involves PKC activation, leading to fetal gene re-expression (MAPK pathway) and protein synthesis (PI3-kinase/p70(s6k) pathway).
  • Neonatal cardiomyocytes utilize autocrine mechanisms (angiotensin II, endothelin) for growth via mechanical stretch, which is absent in adults.
  • Microgravity alters myocardial growth through indirect neuroendocrine/hemodynamic changes and potentially direct cellular effects due to lack of gravitational load.

Conclusions:

  • Adult cardiomyocyte growth is regulated by specific intracellular signaling cascades distinct from neonatal responses.
  • Mechanisms of mechanotransduction in adult cardiomyocytes remain to be fully elucidated, with integrins potentially involved.
  • Microgravity presents a unique environment altering cardiac adaptation through complex systemic and cellular interactions.

Keywords:
Non-programmatic

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