Gab family proteins are essential for postnatal maintenance of cardiac function via neuregulin-1/ErbB signaling
Yoshikazu Nakaoka, Keigo Nishida, Masahiro Narimatsu, Atsunori Kamiya, Takashi Minami, Hirofumi Sawa, Katsuya Okawa, Yasushi Fujio, Tatsuya Koyama, Makiko Maeda, Manami Sone, Satoru Yamasaki, Yuji Arai, Gou Young Koh, Tatsuhiko Kodama, Hisao Hirota, Kinya Otsu, Toshio Hirano, Naoki Mochizuki
Yoshikazu Nakaoka, Keigo Nishida, Masahiro Narimatsu, Atsunori Kamiya, Takashi Minami, Hirofumi Sawa, Katsuya Okawa, Yasushi Fujio, Tatsuya Koyama, Makiko Maeda, Manami Sone, Satoru Yamasaki, Yuji Arai, Gou Young Koh, Tatsuhiko Kodama, Hisao Hirota, Kinya Otsu, Toshio Hirano, Naoki Mochizuki
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Research Article Cardiology

Gab family proteins are essential for postnatal maintenance of cardiac function via neuregulin-1/ErbB signaling

Abstract

Grb2-associated binder (Gab) family of scaffolding adaptor proteins coordinate signaling cascades downstream of growth factor and cytokine receptors. In the heart, among EGF family members, neuregulin-1β (NRG-1β, a paracrine factor produced from endothelium) induced remarkable tyrosine phosphorylation of Gab1 and Gab2 via erythroblastic leukemia viral oncogene (ErbB) receptors. We examined the role of Gab family proteins in NRG-1β/ErbB-mediated signal in the heart by creating cardiomyocyte-specific Gab1/Gab2 double knockout mice (DKO mice). Although DKO mice were viable, they exhibited marked ventricular dilatation and reduced contractility with aging. DKO mice showed high mortality after birth because of heart failure. In addition, we noticed remarkable endocardial fibroelastosis and increase of abnormally dilated vessels in the ventricles of DKO mice. NRG-1β induced activation of both ERK and AKT in the hearts of control mice but not in those of DKO mice. Using DNA microarray analysis, we found that stimulation with NRG-1β upregulated expression of an endothelium-stabilizing factor, angiopoietin 1, in the hearts of control mice but not in those of DKO mice, which accounted for the pathological abnormalities in the DKO hearts. Taken together, our observations indicated that in the NRG-1β/ErbB signaling, Gab1 and Gab2 of the myocardium are essential for both maintenance of myocardial function and stabilization of cardiac capillary and endocardial endothelium in the postnatal heart.

Authors

Yoshikazu Nakaoka, Keigo Nishida, Masahiro Narimatsu, Atsunori Kamiya, Takashi Minami, Hirofumi Sawa, Katsuya Okawa, Yasushi Fujio, Tatsuya Koyama, Makiko Maeda, Manami Sone, Satoru Yamasaki, Yuji Arai, Gou Young Koh, Tatsuhiko Kodama, Hisao Hirota, Kinya Otsu, Toshio Hirano, Naoki Mochizuki

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Figure 6

DKO mice die of heart failure.

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DKO mice die of heart failure. (A) Northern blot analyses of the hearts ...
(A) Northern blot analyses of the hearts from control, Gab1CKO, Gab2KO, and DKO mice (n = 3 for each group) at 12–14 weeks of age showed the increased expression of mRNAs for ANP and α-SKA in DKO mice. GAPDH mRNA was also measured for sample loading control. (B and C) The relative levels of ANP and α-SKA mRNA (normalized to GAPDH mRNA levels) were quantified from 3 mouse hearts in each group. (*P < 0.01 compared with all other groups.) (D) Kaplan-Meier curves showing survival rate in control mice (n = 30), Gab1CKO mice (n = 30), Gab2KO mice (n = 30), and DKO mice (n = 66) mice by 500 days. The number of dead DKO mice was 48 (72.7%); P < 0.001 for DKO versus control, Gab1CKO, and Gab2KO mice by log-rank test.