Go to JCI Insight
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Gastroenterology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Neuroscience
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • Vascular biology
    • All ...
  • Videos
    • ASCI Milestone Awards
    • Video Abstracts
    • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • Reviews
    • View all reviews ...
    • The cGAS-STING pathway: DNA sensing in health and disease (Jun 2026)
    • Neurodegeneration (Mar 2026)
    • Clinical innovation and scientific progress in GLP-1 medicine (Nov 2025)
    • Pancreatic Cancer (Jul 2025)
    • Complement Biology and Therapeutics (May 2025)
    • Evolving insights into MASLD and MASH pathogenesis and treatment (Apr 2025)
    • Microbiome in Health and Disease (Feb 2025)
    • View all review series ...
  • Viewpoint
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Editorials
    • Commentaries
    • Editor's notes
    • Reviews
    • Viewpoints
    • 100th anniversary
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • Reviews
  • Review series
  • ASCI Milestone Awards
  • Video Abstracts
  • Conversations with Giants in Medicine
  • In-Press Preview
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Letters to the Editor
  • Editorials
  • Commentaries
  • Editor's notes
  • Reviews
  • Viewpoints
  • 100th anniversary
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Phosphorylation of CRYAB induces a condensatopathy to worsen post–myocardial infarction left ventricular remodeling
Moydul Islam, David R. Rawnsley, Xiucui Ma, Walter Navid, Chen Zhao, Xumin Guan, Layla Foroughi, John T. Murphy, Honora Navid, Carla J. Weinheimer, Attila Kovacs, Jessica Nigro, Aaradhya Diwan, Ryan P. Chang, Minu Kumari, Martin E. Young, Babak Razani, Kenneth B. Margulies, Mahmoud Abdellatif, Simon Sedej, Ali Javaheri, Douglas F. Covey, Kartik Mani, Abhinav Diwan
Moydul Islam, David R. Rawnsley, Xiucui Ma, Walter Navid, Chen Zhao, Xumin Guan, Layla Foroughi, John T. Murphy, Honora Navid, Carla J. Weinheimer, Attila Kovacs, Jessica Nigro, Aaradhya Diwan, Ryan P. Chang, Minu Kumari, Martin E. Young, Babak Razani, Kenneth B. Margulies, Mahmoud Abdellatif, Simon Sedej, Ali Javaheri, Douglas F. Covey, Kartik Mani, Abhinav Diwan
View: Text | PDF
Research Article Cardiology Cell biology

Phosphorylation of CRYAB induces a condensatopathy to worsen post–myocardial infarction left ventricular remodeling

  • Text
  • PDF
Abstract

Protein aggregates are emerging therapeutic targets in rare monogenic causes of cardiomyopathy and amyloid heart disease, but their role in more prevalent heart-failure syndromes remains mechanistically unexamined. We observed mislocalization of desmin and sarcomeric proteins to aggregates in human myocardium with ischemic cardiomyopathy and in mouse hearts with post–myocardial infarction ventricular remodeling, mimicking findings of autosomal-dominant cardiomyopathy induced by the R120G mutation in the cognate chaperone protein CRYAB. In both syndromes, we demonstrate increased partitioning of CRYAB phosphorylated on serine 59 to NP40-insoluble aggregate-rich biochemical fraction. While CRYAB undergoes phase separation to form condensates, the phosphomimetic mutation of serine 59 to aspartate (S59D) in CRYAB mimics R120G-CRYAB mutants with reduced condensate fluidity, formation of protein aggregates, and increased cell death. Conversely, changing serine to alanine (phosphorylation-deficient mutation) at position 59 (S59A) restored condensate fluidity and reduced both R120G-CRYAB aggregates and cell death. In mice, S59D CRYAB knockin was sufficient to induce desmin mislocalization and myocardial protein aggregates, while S59A CRYAB knockin rescued left ventricular systolic dysfunction after myocardial infarction and preserved desmin localization with reduced myocardial protein aggregates. 25-Hydroxycholesterol attenuated CRYAB serine 59 phosphorylation and rescued post–myocardial infarction adverse remodeling. Thus, targeting CRYAB phosphorylation-induced condensatopathy is an attractive strategy to counter ischemic cardiomyopathy.

Authors

Moydul Islam, David R. Rawnsley, Xiucui Ma, Walter Navid, Chen Zhao, Xumin Guan, Layla Foroughi, John T. Murphy, Honora Navid, Carla J. Weinheimer, Attila Kovacs, Jessica Nigro, Aaradhya Diwan, Ryan P. Chang, Minu Kumari, Martin E. Young, Babak Razani, Kenneth B. Margulies, Mahmoud Abdellatif, Simon Sedej, Ali Javaheri, Douglas F. Covey, Kartik Mani, Abhinav Diwan

×

Figure 5

Knockin of phosphorylation-deficient alanine instead of serine at position 59 in CRYAB rescues post-IR left ventricular remodeling in mice.

Options: View larger image (or click on image) Download as PowerPoint
Knockin of phosphorylation-deficient alanine instead of serine at positi...
(A) Schematic depicting experimental strategy for closed-chest IR modeling (90 minutes of ischemia followed by reperfusion) in S59A, S59D, and WT. (B) Quantitative assessment of area-at-risk (AAR) during LAD occlusion in mice treated as in A. (C and D) Quantitative analyses of left ventricular EDV (LVEDV, C) and LV EF (EF (%), D) at baseline (i.e. prior to) and at 4 weeks after IR injury. *P < 0.05; ***P < 0.001 by Tukey’s post hoc testing after 1-way ANOVA. Echocardiographic parameters at baseline and 4 weeks after IR injury were analyzed separately as they were performed under different anesthetic regimens. (E and F) Masson’s trichrome–stained left ventricular sections demonstrating presence of scar at 4 weeks after IR injury (E) with quantitation of scar size (F). *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01 by Tukey’s post hoc testing after 1-way ANOVA.

Copyright © 2026 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

Sign up for email alerts