Barth Syndrome-Related Cardiomyopathy is Associated with a Reduction in Myocardial Glucose Oxidation

Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2021 Apr 30. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.00873.2020. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTHeart failure presents as the leading cause of infant mortality in individuals with Barth syndrome (BTHS), a rare genetic disorder due to mutations in the tafazzin (TAZ) gene affecting mitochondrial structure and function. Investigations into the perturbed bioenergetics in the BTHS heart remain limited. Hence, our objective was to identify the potential alterations in myocardial energy metabolism and molecular underpinnings that may contribute to the early cardiomyopathy and heart failure development in BTHS. Cardiac function and myocardial energy metabolism were assessed via ultrasound echocardiography and isolated working heart perfusions, respectively, in a mouse model of BTHS (doxycycline-inducible Taz knockdown (TazKD) mice). In addition, we also performed mRNA/protein expression profiling for key regulators of energy metabolism in hearts from TazKD mice and their wild-type (WT) littermates. TazKD mice developed hypertrophic cardiomyopathy as evidenced by increased left ventricular anterior and posterior wall thickness, as well as increased cardiac myocyte cross sectional area, though no functional impairments were observed. Glucose oxidation rates were markedly reduced in isolated working hearts from TazKD mice compared to their WT littermates in the presence of insulin, which was associated with decreased pyruvate dehydrogenase activity. Conversely, myocardial ...
Source: American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology - Category: Physiology Authors: Source Type: research