ZBTB20 Regulates SERCA2a Activity and Myocardial Contractility Through Phospholamban

Intracellular Ca²⁺ cycling determines myocardial contraction and relaxation in response to physiological demands. SERCA2a (sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum Ca²⁺-ATPase 2a) is responsible for the sequestration of cytosolic Ca²⁺ into intracellular stores during cardiac relaxation, and its activity is reversibly inhibited by PLN (phospholamban). However, the regulatory hierarchy of SERCA2a activity remains unclear.

Cardiomyocyte-specific ZBTB20 knockout mice were generated by crossing ZBTB20^flox mice with Myh6-Cre mice. Echocardiography, blood pressure measurements, Langendorff perfusion, histological analysis and immunohistochemistry, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR, Western blot analysis, electrophysiological measurements, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay were performed to clarify the phenotype and elucidate the molecular mechanisms.

Specific ablation of ZBTB20 in cardiomyocyte led to a significant increase in basal myocardial contractile parameters both in vivo and in vitro, accompanied by an impairment in cardiac reserve and exercise capacity. Moreover, the cardiomyocytes lacking ZBTB20 showed an increase in sarcoplasmic reticular Ca²⁺ content and exhibited a remarkable enhancement in both SERCA2a activity and electrically stimulated contraction. Mechanistically, PLN expression was dramatically reduced in cardiomyocytes at the mRNA and protein levels by ZBTB20 deletion or silencing, and PLN overexpression could largely restore the basal contractility in ZBTB20-deficient cardiomyocytes.

These data point to ZBTB20 as a fine-tuning modulator of PLN expression and SERCA2a activity, thereby offering new perspective on the regulation of basal contractility in the mammalian heart.