Background <p>Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is characterized by the misfolding of transthyretin (TTR), fibrillogenesis, and progressive amyloid fibril deposition in the myocardium, leading to cardiac dysfunction with dismal prognosis. In ATTR-CM, either destabilizing mutations (variant TTR, ATTRv) or ageing-associated processes (wild-type TTR, ATTRwt) lead to the formation of TTR amyloid fibrils. Due to a lack of representative disease models, ATTR-CM disease mechanisms are largely unknown, thereby limiting disease understanding and therapeutic discovery.</p> Methods and results <p>Here, we report a novel in vitro ATTR-CM model which uncovers cell type-specific disease phenotypes by exposing the three major human cardiac cell types to TTR fibrils, thereby providing novel insights into the cellular mechanisms of ATTR-CM disease. Human recombinant TTR proteins (WT, V122I, V30M) and respective fibrils were generated and characterized using Thioflavin T, Amytracker, Congo red and dot blot analyses. Seeding human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived-cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) and endothelial cells (ECs) on TTR fibrils resulted in reduced cell viability. Confocal microscopy revealed extracellular localization of TTR fibrils to hiPSC-CMs, leading to sarcomere disruption, altered calcium handling and disrupted electromechanical coupling, while ECs showed a reduced migration capacity with aberrant cell morphology. hiPSC-fibroblasts (hiPSC-FBs) were largely unaffected by TTR fibrils, presenting normal viability, but showing enhanced localization with TTR fibrils.</p> Conclusions <p>Our model shows that WT and variant TTR fibrils lead to cell type-specific phenotypes, providing novel insights into the underlying cellular disease mechanisms of ATTR-CM, thereby facilitating the identification of novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers.</p>

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Uncovering cell type-specific phenotypes using a novel human in vitro model of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy

  • Jiabin Qin,
  • Qiangbing Yang,
  • Asier Ullate-Agote,
  • Vasco Sampaio-Pinto,
  • Laura Florit,
  • Inge Dokter,
  • Chrysoula Mathioudaki,
  • Lotte Middelberg,
  • Pilar Montero-Calle,
  • Paula Aguirre-Ruiz,
  • Joana de las Heras Rojo,
  • Zhiyong Lei,
  • Zeping Qiu,
  • Jin Wei,
  • Pim van der Harst,
  • Felipe Prosper,
  • Manuel M. Mazo,
  • Olalla Iglesias-García,
  • Monique C. Minnema,
  • Joost P. G. Sluijter,
  • Marish I.F.J. Oerlemans,
  • Alain van Mil

摘要

Background

Transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM) is characterized by the misfolding of transthyretin (TTR), fibrillogenesis, and progressive amyloid fibril deposition in the myocardium, leading to cardiac dysfunction with dismal prognosis. In ATTR-CM, either destabilizing mutations (variant TTR, ATTRv) or ageing-associated processes (wild-type TTR, ATTRwt) lead to the formation of TTR amyloid fibrils. Due to a lack of representative disease models, ATTR-CM disease mechanisms are largely unknown, thereby limiting disease understanding and therapeutic discovery.

Methods and results

Here, we report a novel in vitro ATTR-CM model which uncovers cell type-specific disease phenotypes by exposing the three major human cardiac cell types to TTR fibrils, thereby providing novel insights into the cellular mechanisms of ATTR-CM disease. Human recombinant TTR proteins (WT, V122I, V30M) and respective fibrils were generated and characterized using Thioflavin T, Amytracker, Congo red and dot blot analyses. Seeding human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived-cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) and endothelial cells (ECs) on TTR fibrils resulted in reduced cell viability. Confocal microscopy revealed extracellular localization of TTR fibrils to hiPSC-CMs, leading to sarcomere disruption, altered calcium handling and disrupted electromechanical coupling, while ECs showed a reduced migration capacity with aberrant cell morphology. hiPSC-fibroblasts (hiPSC-FBs) were largely unaffected by TTR fibrils, presenting normal viability, but showing enhanced localization with TTR fibrils.

Conclusions

Our model shows that WT and variant TTR fibrils lead to cell type-specific phenotypes, providing novel insights into the underlying cellular disease mechanisms of ATTR-CM, thereby facilitating the identification of novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers.