IGF-IR signaling attenuates the age-related decline of diastolic cardiac function

Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) signaling has been implicated to play an important role in regulation of cardiac growth, hypertrophy, and contractile function and has been linked to the development of age-related congestive heart failure. Here, we address the question to what extent cardiomyocyte-specific IGF-I signaling is essential for maintenance of the structural and functional integrity of the adult murine heart. To investigate the effects of IGF-I signaling in the adult heart without confounding effects due to IGF-I overexpression or adaptation during embryonic and early postnatal development, we inactivated the IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR) by a 4-hydroxytamoxifen-inducible Cre recombinase in adult cardiac myocytes. Efficient inactivation of the IGF-IR (iCMIGF-IRKO) as assessed by Western analysis and real-time PCR went along with reduced IGF-I-dependent Akt and GSK3β phosphorylation. Functional analysis by conductance manometry and MRI revealed no functional alterations in young adult iCMIGF-IRKO mice (age 3 mo). However, when induced in aging mice (11 mo) diastolic cardiac function was depressed. To address the question whether insulin signaling might compensate for the defective IGF-IR signaling, we inactivated β-cells by streptozotocin. However, the diabetes-associated functional depression was similar in control and iCMIGF-IRKO mice. Similarly, analysis of the cardiac gene expression profile on 44K microarrays did not reveal activation of overt adaptive processes. Endogenous IGF-IR signaling is required for conservation of cardiac function of the aging heart, but not for the integrity of cardiac structure and function of young hearts.