β-Arrestin mediates the Frank-Starling mechanism of cardiac contractility

Dennis M. Abraham, Robert T. Davis, Chad M. Warren, Lan Mao, Beata M. Wolska, R. John Solaro, Howard A. Rockman, Gregg L. Semenza

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

26 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Frank-Starling law of the heart is a physiological phenomenon that describes an intrinsic property of heart muscle in which increased cardiac filling leads to enhanced cardiac contractility. Identified more than a century ago, the Frank-Starling relationship is currently known to involve length-dependent enhancement of cardiac myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity. However, the upstream molecular events that link cellular stretch to the length-dependent myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity are poorly understood. Because the angiotensin II type 1 receptor (AT1R) and the multifunctional transducer protein β-arrestin have been shown to mediate mecha-nosensitive cellular signaling, we tested the hypothesis that these two proteins are involved in the Frank-Starling mechanism of the heart. Using invasive hemodynamics, we found that mice lacking β-arrestin 1, β-arrestin 2, or AT1R were unable to generate a Frank-Starling force in response to changes in cardiac volume. Although wildtype mice pretreated with the conventional AT1R blocker losartan were unable to enhance cardiac contractility with volume loading, treatment with a β-arrestin-biased AT1R ligand to selectively activate β-arrestin signaling preserved the Frank-Starling relationship. Importantly, in skinned muscle fiber preparations, we found markedly impaired length-dependent myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity in β-arrestin 1, β-arrestin 2, and AT1R knockout mice. Our data reveal β-arrestin 1, β-arrestin 2, and AT1R as key regulatory molecules in the Frank-Starling mechanism, which potentially can be targeted therapeutically with β-arrestin-biased AT1R ligands.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)14426-14431
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume113
Issue number50
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 13 2016

Keywords

  • Angiotensin II type I receptor
  • Cardiac function
  • Hemodynamics
  • Mechanotransduction
  • β-arrestin

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

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