TRPV4 channels promote pathological, but not physiological, cardiac remodeling through the activation of calcineurin/NFAT and TRPC6

Yáñez Bisbe, Laia, 1993-; Moya, Mar; Rodríguez-Sinovas, Antonio; Ruiz-Meana, Marisol; Inserte, Javier; Tajes Orduña, Marta; Batlle, Montserrat; Guasch, Eduard; Mas Stachurska, Aleksandra; Miró, Elisabet; Rivas, Nuria; Ferreira González, Ignacio; Garcia-Elias Heras, Anna; Benito Villabriga, Begoña

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms25031541

TRPV4 channels promote pathological, but not physiological, cardiac remodeling through the activation of calcineurin/NFAT and TRPC6

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Yáñez-Bisbe L, Moya M, Rodríguez-Sinovas A, Ruiz-Meana M, Inserte J, Tajes M, et al. TRPV4 channels promote pathological, but not physiological, cardiac remodeling through the activation of calcineurin/NFAT and TRPC6. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Jan 26;25(3):1541. DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031541

Abstract

TRPV4 channels, which respond to mechanical activation by permeating Ca2+ into the cell, may play a pivotal role in cardiac remodeling during cardiac overload. Our study aimed to investigate TRPV4 involvement in pathological and physiological remodeling through Ca2+-dependent signaling. TRPV4 expression was assessed in heart failure (HF) models, induced by isoproterenol infusion or transverse aortic constriction, and in exercise-induced adaptive remodeling models. The impact of genetic TRPV4 inhibition on HF was studied by echocardiography, histology, gene and protein analysis, arrhythmia inducibility, Ca2+ dynamics, calcineurin (CN) activity, and NFAT nuclear translocation. TRPV4 expression exclusively increased in HF models, strongly correlating with fibrosis. Isoproterenol-administered transgenic TRPV4-/- mice did not exhibit HF features. Cardiac fibroblasts (CFb) from TRPV4+/+ animals, compared to TRPV4-/-, displayed significant TRPV4 overexpression, elevated Ca2+ influx, and enhanced CN/NFATc3 pathway activation. TRPC6 expression paralleled that of TRPV4 in all models, with no increase in TRPV4-/- mice. In cultured CFb, the activation of TRPV4 by GSK1016790A increased TRPC6 expression, which led to enhanced CN/NFATc3 activation through synergistic action of both channels. In conclusion, TRPV4 channels contribute to pathological remodeling by promoting fibrosis and inducing TRPC6 upregulation through the activation of Ca2+-dependent CN/NFATc3 signaling. These results pose TRPV4 as a primary mediator of the pathological response.