Haemodynamically dependent valvulogenesis of zebrafish heart is mediated by flow-dependent expression of miR-21

Nat Commun. 2013:4:1978. doi: 10.1038/ncomms2978.

Abstract

Heartbeat is required for normal development of the heart, and perturbation of intracardiac flow leads to morphological defects resembling congenital heart diseases. These observations implicate intracardiac haemodynamics in cardiogenesis, but the signalling cascades connecting physical forces, gene expression and morphogenesis are largely unknown. Here we use a zebrafish model to show that the microRNA, miR-21, is crucial for regulation of heart valve formation. Expression of miR-21 is rapidly switched on and off by blood flow. Vasoconstriction and increasing shear stress induce ectopic expression of miR-21 in the head vasculature and heart. Flow-dependent expression of mir-21 governs valvulogenesis by regulating the expression of the same targets as mouse/human miR-21 (sprouty, pdcd4, ptenb) and induces cell proliferation in the valve-forming endocardium at constrictions in the heart tube where shear stress is highest. We conclude that miR-21 is a central component of a flow-controlled mechanotransduction system in a physicogenetic regulatory loop.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • 3' Untranslated Regions / genetics
  • Animals
  • Base Sequence
  • Blood Circulation / drug effects
  • Blood Circulation / physiology*
  • Butadienes / pharmacology
  • Diacetyl / analogs & derivatives
  • Diacetyl / pharmacology
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / drug effects
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Heart Valves / embryology*
  • Heart Valves / metabolism
  • Hemodynamics*
  • Humans
  • MAP Kinase Signaling System / drug effects
  • MicroRNAs / genetics*
  • MicroRNAs / metabolism
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Morpholinos / pharmacology
  • Nitriles / pharmacology
  • Phenotype
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Sequence Alignment
  • Zebrafish / embryology*
  • Zebrafish / genetics
  • Zebrafish / physiology*
  • Zebrafish Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • 3' Untranslated Regions
  • Butadienes
  • MIRN21 microRNA, zebrafish
  • MicroRNAs
  • Morpholinos
  • Nitriles
  • RNA, Messenger
  • U 0126
  • Zebrafish Proteins
  • diacetylmonoxime
  • Diacetyl