Transcriptional analysis reveals that the intracellular lipid accumulation impairs gene expression profiles involved in insulin response-associated cardiac functionality

Res Sq [Preprint]. 2023 Apr 4:rs.3.rs-2688729. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2688729/v1.

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a multisystemic and multicellular pathology that is generally associated with high levels of atherogenic lipoproteins in circulation. These lipoproteins tend to be retained and modified, for example, aggregated low-density lipoprotein (aggLDL), in the extracellular matrix of different tissues, such as the vascular wall and heart. The uptake of aggLDL generates a significant increase in cholesteryl ester (CE) in these tissues. We previously found that the accumulation of CE generates alterations in the insulin response in the heart. Although the insulin response is mainly associated with the uptake and metabolism of glucose, other studies have shown that insulin would fulfill functions in this tissue, such as regulating the calcium cycle and cardiac contractility. Here, we found that aggLDL induced-lipid accumulation altered the gene expression profile involved in processes essential for cardiac functionality, including insulin response and glucose uptake ( Insr , Ins1 , Pik3ip1 , Slc2a4 gene expression), calcium cycle ( Cacna1s and Gjc2 gene expression) and calcium-dependent cardiac contractility ( Myh3 ), and cholesterol efflux ( Abca1 ), in HL-1 cardiomyocytes. These observations were recapitulated using an in vivo model of hypercholesterolemic ApoE-KO mice. Altogether, these results may explain the deleterious effect of lipid accumulation in the myocardium, with important implications for lipid-overloaded associated CVD.

Publication types

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Grants and funding

This work was in part supported by grant from NIH HL 148577 (F.E.R.). This work was also funded by FonCyT (PICT 2017-4497 and PICT 20190-1166); CONICET (PIP 11220200102450CO), and SECYT UNC to G.A.C. M.C.P., M.C.S., G.A.C., and D.G.C. are members of the Research Career of Consejo Nacional de lnvestigaciones Científlcas y Técnicas (CONICET). V.A.D is a postdoctoral fellow of Consejo Nacional de lnvestigaciones Científlcas y Técnicas (CONICET), Centro de lnvestigaciones en Bioquímica Clínica e lnmunología (CIBICI), Córdoba, Argentina.