The disease-specific phenotype in cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells of two long QT syndrome type 3 patients

PLoS One. 2013 Dec 11;8(12):e83005. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083005. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

Long QT syndromes (LQTS) are heritable diseases characterized by prolongation of the QT interval on an electrocardiogram, which often leads to syncope and sudden cardiac death. Here we report the generation of induced pluripotent stems (iPS) cells from two patients with LQTS type 3 carrying a different point mutation in a sodium channel Nav1.5 (p.V240M and p.R535Q) and functional characterization of cardiomyocytes (CM) derived from them. The iPS cells exhibited all characteristic properties of pluripotent stem cells, maintained the disease-specific mutation and readily differentiated to CM. The duration of action potentials at 50% and 90% repolarization was longer in LQTS-3 CM as compared to control CM but this difference did not reach statistical significance due to high variations among cells. Sodium current recordings demonstrated longer time to peak and longer time to 90% of inactivation of the Na(+) channel in the LQTS-3 CM. This hints at a defective Na(+) channel caused by deficiency in open-state inactivation of the Na(+) channel that is characteristic of LQTS-3. These analyses suggest that the effect of channel mutation in the diseased CM is demonstrated in vitro and that the iPS cell-derived CM can serve as a model system for studying the pathophysiology of LQTS-3, toxicity testing and design of novel therapeutics. However, further improvements in the model are still required to reduce cell-to-cell and cell line-to-cell line variability.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Clinical Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Action Potentials / genetics*
  • Adult
  • Cell Differentiation / genetics
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Long QT Syndrome* / genetics
  • Long QT Syndrome* / metabolism
  • Long QT Syndrome* / pathology
  • Long QT Syndrome* / physiopathology
  • Male
  • Membrane Potentials / genetics*
  • Myocytes, Cardiac* / metabolism
  • Myocytes, Cardiac* / pathology
  • NAV1.5 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel* / genetics
  • NAV1.5 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel* / metabolism
  • Pluripotent Stem Cells* / metabolism
  • Pluripotent Stem Cells* / pathology
  • Point Mutation*

Substances

  • NAV1.5 Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel
  • SCN5A protein, human

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung/BMBF to TŠ and JH (project No. 01GN0824), Köln Fortune Program (to TŠ), Maria-Pesch Stiftung (to TŠ) and German Research Foundation/DFG (to UZ, grant ZE 442/4-1). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.