TY - JOUR
T1 - Engraftment of human embryonic stem cell derived cardiomyocytes improves conduction in an arrhythmogenic in vitro model
AU - Thompson, Susan A.
AU - Burridge, Paul W.
AU - Lipke, Elizabeth A.
AU - Shamblott, Michael
AU - Zambidis, Elias T.
AU - Tung, Leslie
N1 - Funding Information:
There are no potential conflicts of interest to disclose. Funding for this work was provided by a grant from the Joint Technion-Hopkins Program for the Biomedical Sciences and Biomedical Engineering (L.T.), grants from the Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund 2008-MSCRFE-0084-00 (L.T.), 2011-MSCRFII-0008-00 (ETZ) and 2008-MSCRFII-0379-00 (ETZ), NIH grants R01-HL066239 (L.T.), U01HL099775 and U01HL100397 (ETZ), Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund Fellowship (P.W.B.), and a National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (S.A.T.).
PY - 2012/7
Y1 - 2012/7
N2 - In this study, we characterized the electrophysiological benefits of engrafting human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) in a model of arrhythmogenic cardiac tissue. Using transforming growth factor-β treated monolayers of neonatal rat ventricular cells (NRVCs), which retain several key aspects of the healing infarct such as an excess of contractile myofibroblasts and slowed, heterogeneous conduction, we assessed the ability of hESC-CMs to improve conduction and prevent arrhythmias. Cells from beating embryoid bodies (hESC-CMs) can form functional monolayers which beat spontaneously and can be electrically stimulated, with mean action potential duration of 275 ± 36. ms and conduction velocity (CV) of 10.6 ± 4.2. cm/s (n = 3). These cells, or cells from non-beating embryoid bodies (hEBCs) were added to anisotropic, NRVC monolayers. Immunostaining demonstrated hESC-CM survival and engraftment, and dye transfer assays confirmed functional coupling between hESC-CMs and NRVCs. Conduction velocities significantly increased in anisotropic NRVC monolayers after engraftment of hESC-CMs (13.4 ± 0.9. cm/s, n = 35 vs. 30.1 ± 3.2. cm/s, n = 20 in the longitudinal direction and 4.3 ± 0.3. cm/s vs. 9.3 ± 0.9. cm/s in the transverse direction), but decreased to even lower values after engraftment of non-cardiac hEBCs (to 10.6 ± 1.3. cm/s and 3.1 ± 0.5. cm/s, n = 11, respectively). Furthermore, reentrant wave vulnerability in NRVC monolayers decreased by 20% after engraftment of hESC-CMs, but did not change with engraftment of hEBCs. Finally, the culture of hESC-CMs in transwell inserts, which prevents juxtacrine interactions, or engraftment with connexin43-silenced hESC-CMs provided no functional improvement to NRVC monolayers. These results demonstrate that hESC-CMs can reverse the slowing of conduction velocity, reduce the incidence of reentry, and augment impaired electrical propagation via gap junction coupling to host cardiomyocytes in this arrhythmogenic in vitro model.
AB - In this study, we characterized the electrophysiological benefits of engrafting human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) in a model of arrhythmogenic cardiac tissue. Using transforming growth factor-β treated monolayers of neonatal rat ventricular cells (NRVCs), which retain several key aspects of the healing infarct such as an excess of contractile myofibroblasts and slowed, heterogeneous conduction, we assessed the ability of hESC-CMs to improve conduction and prevent arrhythmias. Cells from beating embryoid bodies (hESC-CMs) can form functional monolayers which beat spontaneously and can be electrically stimulated, with mean action potential duration of 275 ± 36. ms and conduction velocity (CV) of 10.6 ± 4.2. cm/s (n = 3). These cells, or cells from non-beating embryoid bodies (hEBCs) were added to anisotropic, NRVC monolayers. Immunostaining demonstrated hESC-CM survival and engraftment, and dye transfer assays confirmed functional coupling between hESC-CMs and NRVCs. Conduction velocities significantly increased in anisotropic NRVC monolayers after engraftment of hESC-CMs (13.4 ± 0.9. cm/s, n = 35 vs. 30.1 ± 3.2. cm/s, n = 20 in the longitudinal direction and 4.3 ± 0.3. cm/s vs. 9.3 ± 0.9. cm/s in the transverse direction), but decreased to even lower values after engraftment of non-cardiac hEBCs (to 10.6 ± 1.3. cm/s and 3.1 ± 0.5. cm/s, n = 11, respectively). Furthermore, reentrant wave vulnerability in NRVC monolayers decreased by 20% after engraftment of hESC-CMs, but did not change with engraftment of hEBCs. Finally, the culture of hESC-CMs in transwell inserts, which prevents juxtacrine interactions, or engraftment with connexin43-silenced hESC-CMs provided no functional improvement to NRVC monolayers. These results demonstrate that hESC-CMs can reverse the slowing of conduction velocity, reduce the incidence of reentry, and augment impaired electrical propagation via gap junction coupling to host cardiomyocytes in this arrhythmogenic in vitro model.
KW - Arrhythmia
KW - Cardiomyocytes
KW - Electrophysiology
KW - Human embryonic stem cell
KW - Myocardial infarction
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U2 - 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2012.01.023
DO - 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2012.01.023
M3 - Article
C2 - 22713758
AN - SCOPUS:84861971040
SN - 0022-2828
VL - 53
SP - 15
EP - 23
JO - Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology
JF - Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology
IS - 1
ER -