Signs of cardiac autonomic imbalance and proarrhythmic remodeling in FTO deficient mice
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
In humans, variants of the fat mass and obesity associated (FTO) gene have recently been associated with obesity. However, the physiological function of FTO is not well defined. Previous investigations in mice have linked FTO deficiency to growth retardation, loss of white adipose tissue, increased energy metabolism and enhanced systemic sympathetic activation. In this study we investigated for the first time the effects of global knockout of the mouse FTO gene on cardiac function and its autonomic neural regulation. ECG recordings were acquired via radiotelemetry in homozygous knockout (n = 12) and wild-type (n = 8) mice during resting and stress conditions, and analyzed by means of time- and frequency-domain indexes of heart rate variability. In the same animals, cardiac electrophysiological properties (assessed by epicardial mapping) and structural characteristics were investigated. Our data indicate that FTO knockout mice were characterized by (i) higher heart rate values during resting and stress conditions, (ii) heart rate variability changes (increased LF to HF ratio), (iii) larger vulnerability to stress-induced tachyarrhythmias, (iv) altered ventricular repolarization, and (v) cardiac hypertrophy compared to wild-type counterparts. We conclude that FTO deficiency in mice leads to an imbalance of the autonomic neural modulation of cardiac function in the sympathetic direction and to a potentially proarrhythmic remodeling of electrical and structural properties of the heart.
Date Issued
2014-04-17
Date Acceptance
2014-03-27
Citation
PLoS One, 2014, 9 (4), pp.1-10
ISSN
1932-6203
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Start Page
1
End Page
10
Journal / Book Title
PLoS One
Volume
9
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© 2014 Carnevali et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
License URL
Identifier
http://gateway.webofknowledge.com/gateway/Gateway.cgi?GWVersion=2&SrcApp=PARTNER_APP&SrcAuth=LinksAMR&KeyUT=WOS:000335309100128&DestLinkType=FullRecord&DestApp=ALL_WOS&UsrCustomerID=1ba7043ffcc86c417c072aa74d649202
Subjects
Science & Technology
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Science & Technology - Other Topics
HEART-RATE-VARIABILITY
QT INTERVAL PROLONGATION
NERVOUS-SYSTEM
PURKINJE-FIBERS
SOCIAL STRESS
OBESITY
ARRHYTHMIAS
GENE
STIMULATION
DURATION
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN e95499
Date Publish Online
2014-04-17