spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


spacer gif
     Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents    

First published online 19 December 2006
doi: 10.1242/jcs.03340

Journal of Cell Science 120, 229-238 (2007)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2007
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Supplementary Material
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
jcs.03340v1
120/2/229    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Clément, S.
Right arrow Articles by Jaconi, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Clément, S.
Right arrow Articles by Jaconi, M.

Research Article

Expression and function of {alpha}-smooth muscle actin during embryonic-stem-cell-derived cardiomyocyte differentiation

Sophie Clément1,*,{ddagger}, Michael Stouffs1,{ddagger}, Esther Bettiol1,{ddagger}, Sandy Kampf1,{ddagger}, Karl-Heinz Krause1,{ddagger}, Christine Chaponnier2 and Marisa Jaconi1,{ddagger}

1 Department of Geriatrics, Laboratory of Ageing, Geneva Hospital, Chêne-Bourg, Geneva, Switzerland
2 Department of Pathology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, CMU, Geneva, Switzerland

* Author for correspondence (e-mail: sophie.clement{at}medecine.unige.ch)

Accepted 14 November 2006

Three {alpha}-muscle actin isoforms are sequentially expressed during in vivo cardiac development. {alpha}-Smooth muscle actin is first and transiently expressed, followed by {alpha}-skeletal and finally {alpha}-cardiac actin. The significance of these transitions in actin gene expression during myogenesis remains to be determined. To understand whether actin isoforms have specific functions during cardiac development and cardiomyocyte contractility, we have hampered {alpha}-smooth muscle and {alpha}-skeletal actin expression and organization during embryonic stem cell differentiation towards cardiomyocyte. We show that the sequence of actin isoform expression displays similar pattern in the in vitro model and in mouse heart embryogenesis. Treatment with an interfering fusion peptide containing the N-terminal sequence of {alpha}-smooth muscle actin during a time window preceding spontaneous beating, prevents proper cardiac sarcomyogenesis, whereas {alpha}-skeletal actin-fusion peptide has no effect. Knockdown of {alpha}-smooth muscle actin in embryonic stem cells using RNA interference also affects cardiac differentiation. The application of both fusion peptides on beating embryoid bodies impairs frequency. These results suggest specific functional activities for actin isoforms in cardiogenesis and cardiomyocyte contractility.

Key words: Cardiomyocyte contraction, Antennapedia-fusion peptide, shRNA, Cytoskeleton, Cardiogenesis, Heart, Sarcomyogenesis




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Biol. Chem.Home page
A. M. Knapp, J. E. Ramsey, S.-X. Wang, A. R. Strauch, and R. J. Kelm Jr.
Structure-Function Analysis of Mouse Pur II: CONFORMATION ALTERING MUTATIONS DISRUPT SINGLE-STRANDED DNA AND PROTEIN INTERACTIONS CRUCIAL TO SMOOTH MUSCLE {alpha}-ACTIN GENE REPRESSION
J. Biol. Chem., December 7, 2007; 282(49): 35899 - 35909.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2007