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Institute
Integrins are transmembrane receptors transmitting mechanical signals from the extracellular matrix (ECM) to the cytoskeleton (outside-in-signaling). Many molecular defects in the link between cytoskeleton and ECM are known to induce cardiomyopathies. alpha v integrin appears to play a major role in several processes relevant to remodeling, such as binding and activation of matrix metalloproteinases as well as regulation of cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. We hypothesized that alpha v integrin-mediated signaling is required for the compensatory hypertrophy after aortic banding (AB) and associated with the modulation of ECM protein expression. Mice were treated in vivo with a specific integrin alpha v inhibitor or vehicle via osmotic minipumps starting 1 day prior to aortic banding (AB). At day 2 and day 7 following AB or sham-operation, the mice were examined by echocardiography and hemodynamic analyses were performed. Treatment of alpha v Integrin inhibitor led to a dilated cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure in AB mice (dilated left ventricle, depressed LV function, and pulmonary congestion), but not to hypertrophy as observed in mice without inhibitor treatment. Investigation of downstream signaling revealed significant activation of the p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK), the Extracellular signal-Regulated Kinases 1 and 2 (Erk 1/2), Focal Adhesion Kinase (FAK) and tyrosine-phosphorylation of c-Src in mice 7 days after AB. This response was blunted in mice treated with integrin alpha v inhibitor. Microarrays probing for a total of 96 cell adhesion and ECM genes identified various genomic targets of integrin alpha v mediated signalling. 7 days after AB 18 ECM genes were up-regulated more than 2-fold (n=6), e.g. collagen (8.11 ± 2.2), fibronectin (2.32 ± 0.94), secreted protein, acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC, 3.78 ± 0.12), A disintegrin-like and metalloprotease (reprolysin type) with trombospondin type 1 (Adamts-1, 3.51 ± 0.81) and Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 2 (TIMP2, 2.23 ± 0.98), whereas this up-regulation was abolished in mice that were treatd by integrin alpha v inhibitor via mini pumps. We conclude that signaling downstream of integrin alpha v is mediated by the MAPK, FAK and c-Src pathways leading to an up-regulation of extracelluar matrix components necessary for the compensatory response of the heart under a condition of pressure overload.
The massive remodeling of the heart tissue, as observed in response to pressure overload or myocardial infarction, is considered to play a causative role in the development of heart failure. Alterations in the heart architecture clearly affect the mechanical properties of the heart muscle, but they are rooted in changes at the cellular level including modulation of gene expression. Together with integrins, the transmembrane receptors linking the extracellular environment to the cytoskeleton, extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins and matricellular proteins are key components of the remodeling process in the heart. Therefore, this thesis was aimed at analysing the role of integrins in the regulation of gene expression and heart muscle performance during cardiac wound repair induced by pressure overload or myocardial infarction (MI). To investigate the contribution of integrin Beta 1, we characterised the response of mice with a conditional, cardiac-specific deletion of the integrin Beta 1 gene in an experimental model of pressure overload by aortic banding (AB). In particular, we measured physiological alterations and gene expression events in the stressed heart in the presence or absence of integrin Beta 1. Interestingly, mice containing a knock-out allele and the ventricular myocyte-specific conditional allele of the integrin Beta 1 gene were born and grew up to adulthood. Though these animals still exhibited minor amounts of integrin Beta1 in the heart (expressed by non-myocytes), these mice displayed abnormal cardiac function and were highly sensitive to AB. Whereas a compensatory hypertrophic response to pressure overload was observed in wildtype mice, the integrin Beta 1-deficient mice were not able to undergo heart tissue remodeling. Furthermore, ECM gene expression was altered and, in particular, the increased expression of the matricellular protein SPARC after AB was abolished in integrin Beta 1–deficient mice. Interestingly, we also found a transient upregulation of SPARC mRNA during heart remodeling after MI using cDNA macroarrays. Indeed, increased SPARC protein levels were observed starting at day 2 (2.55±0.21fold, p<0.01), day 7 (3.72±0.28 fold, p<0.01) and 1 month (1.9±0.16 fold, p<0.01) after MI, which could be abolished by using an integrin alpha v inhibitor in vivo. Immunofluorescence analysis of heart tissue demonstrated that the increased SPARC expression was confined to the infarcted area and occurred together with the influx of fibroblasts into the heart. In vitro, either TGF-Beta 1 or PDGF-BB stimulated SPARC expression by fibroblasts. Inhibition of integrin alpha v did not interfere with TGF-Beta1 or PDGF induced SPARC secretion as determined by ELISA assays or Western blot. However, secretion of TGF-Beta1 and PDGF-BB by cardiomyocytes was induced by vitronectin, a ligand of integrin alpha v, and this response was blocked by the integrin alpga v inhibitor. Functionally, SPARC modulated the migratory response of fibroblasts towards ECM proteins suggesting that the local deposition of SPARC following MI contributes to scar formation. Taken together, our combined in vivo and in vitro data demonstrate that several integrin subunits play critical roles during tissue remodeling in the injured heart. Integrin-dependent gene expression events such as the upregulation of SPARC following MI are critical to orchestrate the healing response. These processes appear to involve complex cross-talk between different cell types such as cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts to allow for locally confined scar formation. The elucidation of the sophisticated interplay between integrins, matricellular proteins such as SPARC, and growth factors will undoubtedly provide us with a better and clinically useful understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing heart remodeling.