Abstract

Familial dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a leading cause of sudden cardiac death and a major indicator for heart transplant. The disease is frequently caused by mutations of sarcomeric proteins; however, it is not well understood how these molecular mutations lead to alterations in cellular organization and contractility. To address this critical gap in our knowledge, we studied the molecular and cellular consequences of a DCM mutation in troponin-T, δK210. We determined the molecular mechanism of δK210 and used computational modeling to predict that the mutation should reduce the force per sarcomere. In mutant cardiomyocytes, we found that δK210 not only reduces contractility but also causes cellular hypertrophy and impairs cardiomyocytes' ability to adapt to changes in substrate stiffness (e.g., heart tissue fibrosis that occurs with aging and disease). These results help link the molecular and cellular phenotypes and implicate alterations in mechanosensing as an important factor in the development of DCM.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)17831-17840
Number of pages10
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume116
Issue number36
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 3 2019

Keywords

  • Cardiomyopathy
  • Contractility
  • Mechanobiology
  • Muscle
  • Troponin

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