Differential expression of cell cycle regulatory genes in fetal and adult ovine hearts.

BAUZÁ MR; CASTILLO MG; LOCATELLI P; GIMÉNEZ CS; BELAICH MN; CUNIBERTI L; CROTTOGINI A ; OLEA FD

CIUDAD DE BUENOS AIRES

Congreso; Reunión Conjunta de Sociedades de Biociencias.; 2017

Sociedades de Biociencias.

Over the past few years several cardiac regenerative therapies have been investigated. One possible approach would be to promote myocardial self-regeneration by inhibiting the cell cycle brakes that arrest G1/S y G2/M progression. In transgenic mice it has been shown that the Tbx20 gene antagonizes the expression of the cell cycle repressor gene Btg2 and, at the same time, increases expression of the pro-mitotic genes Hand2 and Mef2c. To assess if these cardiomyocyte cell cycle regulatory genes are operative in large mammals more similar to man, we studied the differential expression of Tbx20, Btg2, Mef2c and Hand2 in hearts from fetal and adult sheep. On account that ovine cardiomyocytes are mitotic until approximately day 100 of gestation, myocardial samples from ovine fetuses at 70 days gestation time (F-70, n=4), fetuses at 120 days gestation time (F-120, n=4) and adult sheep (AS, n=4) were harvested. RT-qPCR was performed to assess expression of Tbx20, Hand2 and Mef2c (cell cycle stimulators) and Btg2 (cell cycle repressor). Results: Pro-mitotic genes: Tbx20 expression was increased by 2.1±0.4 fold in F-70 and by 2.5±0.7 fold in F-120 with regard to AS (both p