Myocardial Proteome in Human Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) constitutes more than half of all HF but has few effective therapies. Recent human myocardial transcriptomics and metabolomics have identified major differences between HFpEF and controls. How this translates at the protein level is unknown.

Myocardial tissue from patients with HFpEF and nonfailing donor controls was analyzed by data-dependent acquisition (n=10 HFpEF, n=10 controls) and data-independent acquisition (n=44 HFpEF, n=5 controls) mass spectrometry-based proteomics. Differential protein expression analysis, pathway overrepresentation, weighted coexpression network analysis, and machine learning were integrated with clinical characteristics and previously reported transcriptomics. Principal component analysis (data-dependent acquisition-mass spectrometry) found HFpEF separated into 2 subgroups: one similar to controls and the other disparate. Downregulated proteins in HFpEF versus controls were enriched in mitochondrial transport/organization, translation, and metabolism including oxidative phosphorylation. Proteins upregulated in HFpEF were related to immune activation, reactive oxygen species, and inflammatory response. Ingenuity pathway analysis predicted downregulation of protein translation, mitochondrial function, and glucose and fat metabolism in HFpEF. Expression of oxidative phosphorylation and metabolism genes (higher) versus proteins (lower) was discordant in HFpEF versus controls. Data-independent acquisition-mass spectrometry proteomics also yielded 2 HFpEF subgroups; the one most different from controls had a higher proportion of patients with severe obesity and exhibited lower proteins related to fuel metabolism, oxidative phosphorylation, and protein translation. Three modules of correlated proteins in HFpEF that correlated with left ventricular hypertrophy and right ventricular load related to (1) proteasome; (2) fuel metabolism; and (3) protein translation, oxidative phosphorylation, and sarcomere organization.

Integrative proteomics, transcriptomics, and pathway analysis supports a defect in both metabolism and translation in HFpEF. Patients with HFpEF with more distinct proteomic signatures from control more often had severe obesity, supporting therapeutic efforts targeting metabolism and translation, particularly in this subgroup.