RNA-sequencing reveals transcriptional signature of pathological remodeling in the diaphragm of rats after myocardial infarction.

Svetlana Yegorova, Oleg Yegorov, Leonardo F Ferreira

Gene 2021 Feb 20

filter terms:

The diaphragm is the main inspiratory muscle, and the chronic phase post-myocardial infarction (MI) is characterized by diaphragm morphological, contractile, and metabolic abnormalities. However, the mechanisms of diaphragm weakness are not fully understood. In the current study, we aimed to identify the transcriptome changes associated with diaphragm abnormalities in the chronic stage MI. We ligated the left coronary artery to cause MI in rats and performed RNA-sequencing (RNA-Seq) in diaphragm samples 16 weeks post-surgery. The sham group underwent thoracotomy and pericardiotomy but no artery ligation. We identified 112 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) out of a total of 9664 genes. Myocardial infarction upregulated and downregulated 42 and 70 genes, respectively. Analysis of DEGs in the framework of skeletal muscle-specific biological networks suggest remodeling in the neuromuscular junction, extracellular matrix, sarcomere, cytoskeleton, and changes in metabolism and iron homeostasis. Overall, the data are consistent with pathological remodeling of the diaphragm and reveal potential biological targets to prevent diaphragm weakness in the chronic stage MI. Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Citation

Svetlana Yegorova, Oleg Yegorov, Leonardo F Ferreira. RNA-sequencing reveals transcriptional signature of pathological remodeling in the diaphragm of rats after myocardial infarction. Gene. 2021 Feb 20;770:145356