Effect of cardiac EGFR silencing with siRNA on the slow force response to myocardial strech

BREA MS; DÍAZ RG; ESCUDERO DS; LEPORACE GUIMIL J; CALDIZ CI; PÉREZ NG; MORGAN PE

Rosario

Congreso; SAIB 2014; 2014

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Bioquímica y Biología Molecular

The stretch of cardiac muscle produces an initial fast increase in force, followed by a slow force response (SFR). The SFR seems to be due to an autocrine mechanism that involves the activation of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the consequent generation and release of reactive oxygen species (ROS). We developed a lentivirus carrying shEGFR sequence to inhibit EGFR expression, without affecting cardiac family members ErbB2 and ErbB4, and injected into a rat cardiac left ventricular wall (n=5). As control, a second group of sham rats were injected with phosphate buffer saline (PBS, n=5). Four-week later, EGFR protein expression in the left ventricle of shEGFR expressing rats showed 52±15 % reduction compared to sham animals (100±6 %, P