Sarcolipin Reduction Rescues Ferroptosis in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy-Associated Cardiomyopathy
Abstract Body: Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent cell death marked by lipid peroxidation, is implicated in various cardiovascular diseases. Duchenne muscular dystrophy-associated cardiomyopathy (DMD-CM) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in DMD patients. We have shown that reducing sarcolipin (SLN) ameliorates dystrophic pathology in DMD-CM. However, the role of ferroptosis in DMD-CM remains unexplored. Here, we used dystrophin and utrophin double-knockout (mdx:utrn–/–) mice with a SLN heterozygous-knockout (sln+/–) background to study the effect of SLN reduction on ferroptosis susceptibility in DMD-CM. Live/dead viability assays revealed a significantly higher cell death rate in cardiomyocytes from mdx:utrn–/– (53.7±7.2%, n=24) compared to wild-type (WT) mice (11.7±1.1%, n=17, p<0.01). The selective ferroptosis inhibitor ferrostatin-1 (10 µM) prevented the cell death in mdx:utrn–/– (7.4±1.5%, n=9, p<0.01), suggesting the involvement of ferroptosis. Notably, ferroptosis was significantly reduced in cardiomyocytes from mdx:utrn–/–:sln+/– mice (11.3±2.4%, n=23, p<0.01). Additionally, mdx:utrn–/– cardiomyocytes showed even higher ferroptosis rates than WT cardiomyocytes when treated with ferroptosis inducers such as iron and the GPX4 inhibitor RSL3. These rates were also reduced in mdx:utrn–/–:sln+/– cardiomyocytes. We performed RNA isolation from the ventricles of 3-month-old wild type (WT) and mdx:utr-/- mice (n=3) and performed RNA-Seq analysis and found alterations of ferroptosis-related pathways. Western blot analysis of ferroptosis-related biomarkers confirmed the upregulation of transferrin receptor and arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase, along with the downregulation of heme oxygenase-1 and ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 in mdx:utrn–/– hearts, while glutathione peroxidase 4 levels remained unchanged. We also observed an increased level of iron deposition and lipid peroxidation in mdx:utrn–/– hearts compared to WT. However, the alterations in the aforementioned ferroptosis-related biomarker in mdx:utrn–/– were not reversed in mdx:utrn–/–:sln+/– hearts, suggesting the potential involvement of other pathways presumably Ca2+ signaling. Our results suggest that mdx:utrn–/– exacerbates ferroptosis in cardiomyocytes, while the reducing SLN mitigates this vulnerability. This highlights a potential therapeutic avenue involving SLN reduction to prevent ferroptosis-related complications in muscular dystrophy.
Fefelova, Nadezhda
( Rutgers, The State University of Ne
, Newark
, New Jersey
, United States
)
Pamarthi, Sri Harika
( Rutgers-New jersey Medical School
, Newark
, New Jersey
, United States
)
Mareedu, Satvik
( Rutgers University - NJMS
, Newark
, New Jersey
, United States
)
Ivessa, Andreas
( Rutgers-New jersey Medical School
, Newark
, New Jersey
, United States
)
Babu, Gopal
( RUTGERS-NJMS
, Newark
, New Jersey
, United States
)
Gwathmey, Judith
( Rutgers University
, Newark
, New Jersey
, United States
)
Xie, Lai-hua
( RUTGERS-NEW JERSEY MEDICAL SCHOOL
, Newark
, New Jersey
, United States
)
Author Disclosures:
Nadezhda Fefelova:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships
| Sri Harika Pamarthi:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships
| Satvik Mareedu:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships
| Andreas Ivessa:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships
| Gopal Babu:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships
| Judith Gwathmey:No Answer
| Lai-Hua Xie:DO NOT have relevant financial relationships