The atrial and ventricular myocardial proteome of end-stage lamin heart disease

Constantin-Cristian Topriceanu1,2,3, Mashael Alfarih1,2, Alun D Hughes1,2

  • 1UCL MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Ageing, University College London, London, UK.

Insights

End-stage lamin heart disease, caused by the LMNA gene, affects the atria more than ventricles. This proteomics study found distinct protein changes, including increased lamin B and CA3, suggesting compensatory mechanisms.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Proteomics
  • Genetic Cardiology
  • Molecular Medicine

Background:

  • Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) can arise from mutations in the Lamin A/C (LMNA) gene.
  • Understanding the molecular differences in end-stage lamin heart disease is crucial for targeted therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the post-genomic proteomic differences between end-stage lamin heart disease (LMNA-group) and ischemic DCM (ICM-group).
  • To identify specific protein alterations in various heart tissues affected by LMNA gene mutations.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective enrollment of patients undergoing heart transplantation (n=7 LMNA, n=7 ICM).
  • Proteomic analysis using a discovery 'shotgun' proteomics approach on left atrium, left ventricle, right atrium, right ventricle, and interventricular septum samples.
  • Comparative analysis of protein abundance between LMNA and ICM groups.

Main Results:

  • 990 proteins were differentially abundant between LMNA and ICM groups, with the left atrium showing the most significant perturbation.
  • Reduced lamin A/C and increased lamin B in LMNA atrial tissues; increased carbonic anhydrase 3 (CA3) and transthyretin across LMNA tissues.
  • Sarcopenia, extracellular matrix remodeling, impaired myocardial energetics, redox imbalances, and abnormal calcium handling were identified in LMNA samples.

Conclusions:

  • End-stage lamin heart disease is a biventricular and particularly biatrial disease.
  • Increased lamin B, CA3, and transthyretin in LMNA hearts may represent compensatory responses.
  • Proteomic profiling reveals key molecular pathways affected in LMNA-associated cardiomyopathy.