Hao Yan, Li Bohan, Tian Wendan, Yin Feiya, Liu Wei
Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, China; Department of Cardiology, the fourth affiliated hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, China.
Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, China.
Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Res. 2025 Jun 23;1872(7):120011. doi: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2025.120011.
Myocardial infarction (MI) triggers a significant injury response that eventually leads to adverse cardiac remodeling and heart failure, with the extracellular matrix, including collagen, plays a crucial role in this process. However, the relationship between 5-methylcytosine (m5C) modification and cardiac remodeling after MI remains unclear. In this study, an MI model was established in mice through ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery, and hypoxia-induced primary neonatal cardiac fibroblasts were used as a cell model. Various techniques, including bioinformatics, immunofluorescence, histopathology, Western blot, and in vivo adeno-associated virus (AAV) infection, were employed to investigate the role of Alyref in cardiac remodeling following MI. We found that the expression of the m5C reader Alyref was increased in infarcted myocardial tissue in mice. Single-cell sequencing data revealed that Alyref was most significantly expressed in activated cardiac fibroblasts after MI and was involved in regulating cardiac remodeling. RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (RIP-seq) analysis indicated that Alyref modulates the synthesis of extracellular matrix proteins, including collagen and elastin, in cardiac fibroblasts. In hypoxia-induced primary cardiac fibroblasts, siRNA-mediated Alyref knockdown reduced the synthesis of Col1a2, Col3a1, and Eln, mechanistically linked to the inhibition of the Fbln1/Loxl1 pathway. Additionally, Alyref knockdown suppressed the proliferation and transdifferentiation of cardiac fibroblasts. In vivo, AAV-mediated Alyref silencing attenuated collagen/elastin synthesis, impairing cardiac remodeling and worsening cardiac function after MI in mice. Overall, our findings demonstrate that the m5C reader Alyref regulates extracellular matrix protein synthesis in cardiac fibroblasts and represents a potential therapeutic target for modulating cardiac remodeling after MI.
心肌梗死(MI)引发显著的损伤反应,最终导致不良的心脏重塑和心力衰竭,细胞外基质(包括胶原蛋白)在这一过程中起关键作用。然而,MI后5-甲基胞嘧啶(m5C)修饰与心脏重塑之间的关系仍不清楚。在本研究中,通过结扎左冠状动脉前降支在小鼠中建立MI模型,并将缺氧诱导的原代新生心脏成纤维细胞用作细胞模型。采用包括生物信息学、免疫荧光、组织病理学、蛋白质印迹和体内腺相关病毒(AAV)感染在内的各种技术,研究Alyref在MI后心脏重塑中的作用。我们发现,m5C阅读器Alyref在小鼠梗死心肌组织中的表达增加。单细胞测序数据显示,Alyref在MI后活化的心脏成纤维细胞中表达最为显著,并参与调节心脏重塑。RNA免疫沉淀测序(RIP-seq)分析表明,Alyref调节心脏成纤维细胞中细胞外基质蛋白(包括胶原蛋白和弹性蛋白)的合成。在缺氧诱导的原代心脏成纤维细胞中,siRNA介导的Alyref敲低减少了Col1a2、Col⁃3a1和Eln的合成,其机制与Fbln1/Loxl1途径的抑制有关。此外,Alyref敲低抑制了心脏成纤维细胞的增殖和转分化。在体内,AAV介导的Alyref沉默减弱了胶原蛋白/弹性蛋白的合成,损害了心脏重塑,并使小鼠MI后的心脏功能恶化。总体而言,我们的研究结果表明,m5C阅读器Alyref调节心脏成纤维细胞中细胞外基质蛋白的合成,是调节MI后心脏重塑的潜在治疗靶点。