-Related Cardiac Disease: Late Onset With a Variable and Mild Phenotype in a Large Cohort of Patients With the Lamin A/C p.(Arg331Gln) Founder Mutation.

Background: Interpretation of missense variants can be especially difficult when the variant is also found in control populations. This is what we encountered for the c.992G>A (p.

A mutation in the glutamate-rich region of RNA-binding motif protein 20 causes dilated cardiomyopathy through missplicing of titin and impaired Frank-Starling mechanism.

Aim: Mutations in the RS-domain of RNA-binding motif protein 20 (RBM20) have recently been identified to segregate with aggressive forms of familial dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Loss of RBM20 in rats results in missplicing of the sarcomeric gene titin (TTN). The functional and physiological consequences of RBM20 mutations outside the mutational hotspot of RBM20 have not been explored to date.

Selective phosphorylation of PKA targets after β-adrenergic receptor stimulation impairs myofilament function in Mybpc3-targeted HCM mouse model.

Aims: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) has been associated with reduced β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) signalling, leading downstream to a low protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated phosphorylation. It remained undefined whether all PKA targets will be affected similarly by diminished β-AR signalling in HCM. We aimed to investigate the role of β-AR signalling on regulating myofilament and calcium handling in an HCM mouse model harbouring a gene mutation (G > A transition on the last nucleotide of exon 6) in Mybpc3 encoding cardiac myosin-binding protein C.

Synergistic role of ADP and Ca(2+) in diastolic myocardial stiffness.

Diastolic dysfunction in heart failure patients is evident from stiffening of the passive properties of the ventricular wall. Increased actomyosin interactions may significantly limit diastolic capacity, however, direct evidence is absent. From experiments at the cellular and whole organ level, in humans and rats, we show that actomyosin-related force development contributes significantly to high diastolic stiffness in environments where high ADP and increased diastolic [Ca(2+) ] are present, such as the failing myocardium.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy: different at heart.

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a severe cardiac disease occurring in the last month of pregnancy or in the first 5 months after delivery and shows many similar clinical characteristics as dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) such as ventricle dilation and systolic dysfunction. While PPCM was believed to be DCM triggered by pregnancy, more and more studies show important differences between these diseases. While it is likely they share part of their pathogenesis such as increased oxidative stress and an impaired microvasculature, discrepancies seen in disease progression and outcome indicate there must be differences in pathogenesis as well.

Impaired relaxation despite upregulated calcium-handling protein atrial myocardium from type 2 diabetic patients with preserved ejection fraction.

Background: Diastolic dysfunction is a key factor in the development and pathology of cardiac dysfunction in diabetes, however the exact underlying mechanism remains unknown, especially in humans. We aimed to measure contraction, relaxation, expression of calcium-handling proteins and fibrosis in myocardium of diabetic patients with preserved systolic function.

Methods: Right atrial appendages from patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM, n = 20) and non-diabetic patients (non-DM, n = 36), all with preserved ejection fraction and undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), were collected.

Titin gene mutations are common in families with both peripartum cardiomyopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy.

Aim: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) can be an initial manifestation of familial dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). We aimed to identify mutations in families that could underlie their PPCM and DCM.

Methods And Results: We collected 18 families with PPCM and DCM cases from various countries.