Mcur1 Is A Potential Target To Modulate Cardiac Contractility And Alleviate Cardiac Function During Heart Failure

Cardiac contractility is regulated by the intracellular Ca 2+ concentration fluxes which are actively regulated by multiple channels and transporters. Ca 2+ uptake into the mitochondrial matrix is precisely controlled by the highly Ca 2+ selective channel, Mitochondrial Calcium Uniporter (MCU). Earlier studies on the cardiac-specific acute MCU knockout and a transgenic dominant-negative MCU mice have demonstrated that mitochondrial Ca 2+ ( m Ca 2+ ) signaling is necessary for cardiac ‘‘fight-or-flight’’ contractile response, however, the role of m Ca 2+ buffering to shape global cytosolic Ca 2+ levels and affect E-C coupling, particularly the Ca 2+ transient, on a beat-to-beat basis still remains to be solved. Our earlier studies have demonstrated that loss of MCU Regulator 1 (MCUR1) in cardiomyocytes results in the impaired m Ca 2+ uptake. We have now employed the cardiac-specific MCUR1 knockout mouse to dissect the precise role of MCU in regulating cytosolic Ca 2+ transients associated with excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling and cardiac function. Results from our studies including the in vivo analyses of cardiac physiology during normal and pressure-overloaded mouse models and in vitro experiments including single-cell cardiac contractility, calcium transients, and electrophysiology measurements demonstrate that MCUR1/MCU regulated m Ca 2+ buffering in cardiomyocytes, although insignificant under basal condition, becomes critical in stress induced conditions and actively participates in regulating the c Ca 2+ transients. Also, the ablation of MCUR1 in cardiomyocytes during stress conditions prevents m Ca 2+ overload and subsequent mROS overproduction. Our data indicate that MCUR1 ablation offers protection against pressure-overload cardiac hypertrophy. In summary, our results provide critical insights into the mechanisms by which the MCU channel contributes in regulating the contractile function of the cardiomyocytes and the role of m Ca 2+ in the development and progression of heart failure.