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European Journal of Heart Failure 2007 9(6-7):568-573; doi:10.1016/j.ejheart.2007.02.009
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© 2007 European Society of Cardiology

Altered melusin expression in the hearts of aortic stenosis patients

Sebastian Brokata, Jenny Thomasa, Lars R. Herdaa, Christoph Knosallab, Reinhard Preglab, Mara Brancaccioc, Federica Accorneroc, Guido Taronec, Roland Hetzerb and Vera Regitz-Zagroseka,b,*

a Center for Gender in Medicine and Cardiovascular Research Center (CCR), Charité Berlin, Germany
b German Heart Institute (DHZB), Berlin, Germany
c Department of Genetics, Biology and Biochemistry, University of Turin, Italy

* Corresponding author. Center for Gender in Medicine and Center for Cardiovascular Research (CCR), in Cooperation with DHZB, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hessische Straße 3-4, D-10115 Berlin, Germany. Tel.: +49 30 450 525 172; fax: +49 30 450 525 972. E-mail address: vera.regitz-zagrosek{at}charite.de, vrz{at}dhzb.de


  Abstract

Background: The role of melusin, a necessary component in pressure-induced left-ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in mice, has not yet been determined in human cardiac hypertrophy. We analyzed for the first time the expression and regional distribution of melusin in human LVH due to aortic stenosis (AS) and determined AKT phosphorylation as a potential downstream effector of melusin signalling.

Methods: Regional distribution of melusin was evaluated in four normal hearts. Melusin staining, gene expression and protein content were assessed in biopsies from normal and diseased hearts and melusin gene expression was correlated with LV functional changes. The pAKT/AKT ratio was determined in parallel and correlated with melusin protein content.

Results: In normal hearts, melusin was found in the myocytes with a uniform regional distribution. Melusin staining, mRNA and protein were significantly decreased in human AS hearts. The reduction in melusin mRNA was significantly correlated with LVEF, LVEDD and LVESD. pAKT/AKT ratio was significantly decreased in human AS and was correlated with melusin content.

Conclusion: Reduction in melusin expression parallels the functional cardiac impairment in human AS. The simultaneous decrease of melusin and AKT phosphorylation suggests a connection between the loss of melusin and the decrease in systolic function.

Key Words: Melusin • Aortic stenosis • Hypertrophy • Gene expression • Proteinkinase B/AKT

Received July 10, 2006; Revised December 20, 2006; Accepted February 22, 2007


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