Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Hypoxia changes the expression of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) system in human hearts and cultured cardiomyocytes

Munk, Mathias ; Memon, Ashfaque Ahmed LU orcid ; Goetze, Jens Peter ; Nielsen, Lars Bo LU ; Nexo, Ebba and Sorensen, Boe Sandahl (2012) In PLoS ONE 7(7).
Abstract

BACKGROUND: The epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors HER2 and HER4 and the ligands HB-EGF and NRG1 are crucial for heart development. The purpose of our study was to investigate the role of the complete EGF system in relation to hypoxia of the heart.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We examined the mRNA expression by real time PCR of the 4 receptors and 12 ligands from the EGF-system in paired normoxic and hypoxic biopsies isolated from human hearts during coronary artery bypass operation. Compared to normoxic biopsies, hypoxic samples showed down-regulation of HER2 (P = 0.0005) and NRG1 (both α (P = 0.02) and β (P = 0.03) isoforms). In contrast, HB-EGF (P = 0.0008), NRG2β (P = 0.01) and EGFR (P = 0.02) were up-regulated. As... (More)

BACKGROUND: The epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors HER2 and HER4 and the ligands HB-EGF and NRG1 are crucial for heart development. The purpose of our study was to investigate the role of the complete EGF system in relation to hypoxia of the heart.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We examined the mRNA expression by real time PCR of the 4 receptors and 12 ligands from the EGF-system in paired normoxic and hypoxic biopsies isolated from human hearts during coronary artery bypass operation. Compared to normoxic biopsies, hypoxic samples showed down-regulation of HER2 (P = 0.0005) and NRG1 (both α (P = 0.02) and β (P = 0.03) isoforms). In contrast, HB-EGF (P = 0.0008), NRG2β (P = 0.01) and EGFR (P = 0.02) were up-regulated. As HER2 is essential for heart development and we find its expression reduced under hypoxia we investigated the effect of HER2 inhibition in hypoxic HL-1 cardiomyocytes by treatment with trastuzumab (20 nM). This resulted in inhibition of cardiomyocyte proliferation, but interestingly only in hypoxic cells. Co-treatment of HL-1 cells with HB-EGF (10 nM) but not with NRG-1 (5 ng/ml) rescued the cardiomyocytes from HER2 inhibition. HL-1 cardiomyocytes exposed to hypoxia revealed nuclear translocation of activated MAPK and the activity of this downstream signaling molecule was decreased by HER2 inhibition (20 nM trastuzumab), and re-established by HB-EGF (10 nM).

CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Hypoxia in the human heart alters the expression of the EGF system. Mimicking the HER2 down-regulation seen in the human heart in cultured cardiomyocytes inhibited their proliferation under hypoxic conditions. Interestingly, HB-EGF is induced in the hypoxic human hearts, and rescues hypoxic cardiomyocytes from the effect of HER2 inhibition in the in vitro model. The results have implications for future treatment strategies of patients with ischemic heart disease.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; and
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Animals, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/pharmacology, Biopsy, Cell Hypoxia, Cell Nucleus/enzymology, Cell Proliferation, Cells, Cultured, Coronary Artery Bypass, ErbB Receptors/genetics, Gene Expression, Gene Expression Regulation, Heparin-binding EGF-like Growth Factor, Humans, Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/genetics, Mice, Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism, Myocardium/metabolism, Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism, Nerve Growth Factors/genetics, Neuregulin-1/genetics, Organ Specificity, Protein Isoforms/genetics, Protein Transport, Receptor, ErbB-2/antagonists & inhibitors, Receptor, ErbB-3/genetics, Receptor, ErbB-4, Sus scrofa, Trastuzumab
in
PLoS ONE
volume
7
issue
7
article number
e40243
publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
external identifiers
  • pmid:22792252
  • scopus:84863616362
ISSN
1932-6203
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0040243
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
c9ea053e-3d01-46b2-a3ce-10ce117270df
date added to LUP
2019-11-22 16:16:25
date last changed
2024-03-20 01:04:58
@article{c9ea053e-3d01-46b2-a3ce-10ce117270df,
  abstract     = {{<p>BACKGROUND: The epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors HER2 and HER4 and the ligands HB-EGF and NRG1 are crucial for heart development. The purpose of our study was to investigate the role of the complete EGF system in relation to hypoxia of the heart.</p><p>METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We examined the mRNA expression by real time PCR of the 4 receptors and 12 ligands from the EGF-system in paired normoxic and hypoxic biopsies isolated from human hearts during coronary artery bypass operation. Compared to normoxic biopsies, hypoxic samples showed down-regulation of HER2 (P = 0.0005) and NRG1 (both α (P = 0.02) and β (P = 0.03) isoforms). In contrast, HB-EGF (P = 0.0008), NRG2β (P = 0.01) and EGFR (P = 0.02) were up-regulated. As HER2 is essential for heart development and we find its expression reduced under hypoxia we investigated the effect of HER2 inhibition in hypoxic HL-1 cardiomyocytes by treatment with trastuzumab (20 nM). This resulted in inhibition of cardiomyocyte proliferation, but interestingly only in hypoxic cells. Co-treatment of HL-1 cells with HB-EGF (10 nM) but not with NRG-1 (5 ng/ml) rescued the cardiomyocytes from HER2 inhibition. HL-1 cardiomyocytes exposed to hypoxia revealed nuclear translocation of activated MAPK and the activity of this downstream signaling molecule was decreased by HER2 inhibition (20 nM trastuzumab), and re-established by HB-EGF (10 nM).</p><p>CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Hypoxia in the human heart alters the expression of the EGF system. Mimicking the HER2 down-regulation seen in the human heart in cultured cardiomyocytes inhibited their proliferation under hypoxic conditions. Interestingly, HB-EGF is induced in the hypoxic human hearts, and rescues hypoxic cardiomyocytes from the effect of HER2 inhibition in the in vitro model. The results have implications for future treatment strategies of patients with ischemic heart disease.</p>}},
  author       = {{Munk, Mathias and Memon, Ashfaque Ahmed and Goetze, Jens Peter and Nielsen, Lars Bo and Nexo, Ebba and Sorensen, Boe Sandahl}},
  issn         = {{1932-6203}},
  keywords     = {{Animals; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized/pharmacology; Biopsy; Cell Hypoxia; Cell Nucleus/enzymology; Cell Proliferation; Cells, Cultured; Coronary Artery Bypass; ErbB Receptors/genetics; Gene Expression; Gene Expression Regulation; Heparin-binding EGF-like Growth Factor; Humans; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/genetics; Mice; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/metabolism; Myocardium/metabolism; Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism; Nerve Growth Factors/genetics; Neuregulin-1/genetics; Organ Specificity; Protein Isoforms/genetics; Protein Transport; Receptor, ErbB-2/antagonists & inhibitors; Receptor, ErbB-3/genetics; Receptor, ErbB-4; Sus scrofa; Trastuzumab}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  publisher    = {{Public Library of Science (PLoS)}},
  series       = {{PLoS ONE}},
  title        = {{Hypoxia changes the expression of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) system in human hearts and cultured cardiomyocytes}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0040243}},
  doi          = {{10.1371/journal.pone.0040243}},
  volume       = {{7}},
  year         = {{2012}},
}