Femtosecond laser-based nanosurgery reveals the endogenous regeneration of single Z-discs including physiological consequences for cardiomyocytes

Sci Rep. 2019 Mar 6;9(1):3625. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-40308-z.

Abstract

A highly organized cytoskeleton architecture is the basis for continuous and controlled contraction in cardiomyocytes (CMs). Abnormalities in cytoskeletal elements, like the Z-disc, are linked to several diseases. It is challenging to reveal the mechanisms of CM failure, endogenous repair, or mechanical homeostasis on the scale of single cytoskeletal elements. Here, we used a femtosecond (fs) laser to ablate single Z-discs in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) -derived CMs (hPSC-CM) and neonatal rat CMs. We show, that CM viability was unaffected by the loss of a single Z-disc. Furthermore, more than 40% of neonatal rat and 68% of hPSC-CMs recovered the Z-disc loss within 24 h. Significant differences to control cells, after the Z-disc loss, in terms of cell perimeter, x- and y-expansion and calcium homeostasis were not found. Only 14 days in vitro old hPSC-CMs reacted with a significant decrease in cell area, x- and y-expansion 24 h past nanosurgery. This demonstrates that CMs can compensate the loss of a single Z-disc and recover a regular sarcomeric pattern during spontaneous contraction. It also highlights the significant potential of fs laser-based nanosurgery to physically micro manipulate CMs to investigate cytoskeletal functions and organization of single elements.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • Calcium / metabolism*
  • Cell Differentiation*
  • Humans
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / cytology
  • Myocytes, Cardiac / physiology*
  • Pluripotent Stem Cells / cytology
  • Pluripotent Stem Cells / physiology*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Regeneration*
  • Sarcomeres / physiology*
  • Signal Transduction

Substances

  • Calcium