Fibrillins are major constituents of microfibrils, which are essential components of the extracellular matrix of connective tissues where they contribute to the tissue homeostasis. Although it is known that microfibrils are abundantly expressed in the left ventricle of the heart, limited data are available about the presence of microfibrils in the other parts of the myocardial tissue and whether there are age or sex-related differences in the spatial arrangement of the microfibrils. This basic knowledge is essential to better understand the impact of fibrillin-1 pathogenic variants on the myocardial tissue as seen in Marfan related cardiomyopathy. We performed histological analyses on wild-type male and female murine myocardial tissue collected at different time-points (1, 3 and 6 months). Fibrillin-1 and -2 immunofluorescence stainings were performed on cross-sections at the level of the apex, the mid-ventricles and the atria. In addition, other myocardial matrix components such as collagen and elastin were also investigated. Fibrillin-1 presented as long fibres in the apex, mid-ventricles and atria. The spatial arrangement differed between the investigated regions, but not between age groups or sexes. Collagen had a similar broad spatial arrangement to that of fibrillin-1, whereas elastic fibres were primarily present in the atria and the vessels. In contrast to fibrillin-1, limited amounts of fibrillin-2 were observed. Fibrillin-rich fibres contribute to the architecture of the myocardial tissue in a region-dependent manner in wild-type murine hearts. This knowledge is helpful for future experimental set-ups of studies evaluating the impact of fibrillin-1 pathogenic variants on the myocardial tissue.
Keywords: Cardiac tissue; Fibrillin-1; Microfibrils; Myocardial ECM; Spatial arrangement.