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Phenotypic and molecular evaluation of overexpression and silencing of MEF2C in cardiac myocytes

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Author(s):
Ana Helena Macedo Pereira
Total Authors: 1
Document type: Doctoral Thesis
Press: Campinas, SP.
Institution: Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Faculdade de Ciências Médicas
Defense date:
Examining board members:
Kleber Gomes Franchini; Erich Vinicius De Paula; Deborah Schechtman; Adriana Souza Torsoni; Daniela Barretto Barbosa Trivella
Advisor: Kleber Gomes Franchini
Abstract

The factors MEF2 (myocyte enhancer factor 2) belong to the family MADS box (MCM1-Agamous-deficiens-Serum response factor) and were first described as transcription factors that bind DNA sequences rich in A / T in the promoters of multiple muscle-specific genes. There are four MEF2 family genes that were identified in vertebrates MEF2A, B, C and D are expressed differently during embryogenesis and in adult tissues. Previous studies from our laboratory demonstrated that the transcription factor MEF2 is activated by mechanical stretch and influences the expression of genes related to cardiac hypertrophy. Using siRNA technology to MEF2C (siRNAMEF2C) demonstrated attenuation of cardiac hypertrophy induced by aortic coarctation in animals that received siRNAMEF2C. On the other hand studies have demonstrated that transgenic mice with overexpression of MEF2A or MEF2C and subjected to pressure overload by aortic coarctation show no compensatory cardiac hypertrophy. In these animals the overexpression of MEF2A or MEF2C in the heart is associated with structural and functional cardiac deterioration and development of dilated cardiomyopathy. However, the phenotypic and molecular mechanisms involved in the overexpression of MEF2C in cardiac myocytes are still unknown. Likewise, there is known the role of the transcription factor MEF2C in cardiac myocyte hypertrophic response after aortic coarctation. In the present study it was shown that overexpression of MEF2C in neonatal rat cardiac myocytes (NRMV) with the use of adenoviral particles, and cellular dedifferentiation induced activation mechanisms involved in cell cycle progression. These results were obtained by DNA microarray experiments, proteomics, real time PCR and western blotting. The analysis of cell phenotype by light microscopy, confocal and transmission electron shows that NRMV have increased binucleation and sarcomeric disorganization, changes consistent with the framework of cellular dedifferentiation and activation of cell cycle progression. By means of the propidium iodide incorporation technique and flow cytometry, confirmed increasing cells in the cell cycle. To confirm the findings in neonatal cardiomyocytes we investigate the effect of overexpression of MEF2C in cardiomyocytes of adult rats. For this standardized technique and isolation of these cells treated with AdMEF2C. Thus treatment with AdMEF2C in adult rat cardiac myocytes resulted in increased expression of MEF2C after 48 hours of treatment. The observed effect was similar to that found in cardiomyocytes neonates, adults who showed increased expression of genes related to cell cycle and decreased structural genes. The ultrastructural level observed by transmission electron microscopy in the time of 48 hours of treatment showed no difference in sarcomeric structure of cells treated with AdMEF2C. Finally we show that MEF2C silencing by lentivirus injection in the heart has been shown to prevent the development of cardiac hypertrophy in mice after 15 days of pressure overload. The heart hypertrophy was evaluated by the thickness of the posterior wall of the left ventricle and the left ventricle gravity and lungs. The data set shows that overexpression of MEF2C leads to structural changes in the cardiac myocyte compatible framework of deterioration and failure, and MEF2C silencing of the heart prevents the development of cardiac hypertrophy due to aortic coarctation (AU)