The Role of Tropomodulin in Cardiac Function and Remodeling

Tropomodulin is an actin-capping protein in cardiac muscle, and is associated with both sarcomeric and cytoskeletal actin filaments. Homozygous knockout of erythrocyte tropomodulin (E-Tmod) is embryonically lethal, but heterozygous knockout (+/-) mice survive. Heterozygous E-Tmod knockout resulted in smaller right ventricle (RV) cavities and free walls compared to wild type. To investigate the effect of heterozygous tropomodulin knockout on mouse cardiac function and remodeling, mice (n=6 to 9) were subjected to 5 weeks of hypoxia to increase loading conditions on the RV via pulmonary hypertension. The effect of loading was determined by measuring the volume of RV anatomical features, and surface strain during the cardiac cycle. Although there was no significant change due to loading on RV cavity or free wall volume for wild type, geometrical measurements suggest that tissue had been redistributed. Under equal loading conditions, knockout mice exhibited a significant increase in volume for both RV features. RV epicardial function showed an increase in surface area strain at peak systole for hypoxic knockout mice. Thus it appears that heterozygous knockout of E-Tmod affects RV volume under normal and adverse loading conditions, as well as RV function.