Altered Crossbridge Kinetics in the αMHC 403/+ Mouse Model of Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Abstract —A mutation in the cardiac β-myosin heavy chain, Arg403Gln (R403Q), causes a severe form of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC) in humans. We used small-amplitude (0.25%) length-perturbation analysis to examine the mechanical properties of skinned left ventricular papillary muscle strips from mouse hearts bearing the R403Q mutation in the α-myosin heavy chain (αMHC 403/+ ). Myofibrillar disarray with variable penetrance occurred in the left ventricular free wall of the αMHC 403/+ hearts. In resting strips (pCa 8), dynamic stiffness was ≈40% greater than in wild-type strips, consistent with elevated diastolic stiffness reported for murine hearts with FHC. At pCa 6 (submaximal activation), strip isometric tension was ≈3 times higher than for wild-type strips, whereas at pCa 5 (maximal activation), tension was marginally lower. At submaximal calcium activation the characteristic frequencies of the work-producing ( b ) and work-absorbing ( c ) steps of the crossbridge were less in αMHC 403/+ strips than in wild-type strips ( b =11±1 versus 15±1 Hz; c = 58±3 versus 66±3 Hz; 27°C). At maximal calcium activation, strip oscillatory power was reduced (0.53±0.25 versus 1.03±0.18 mW/mm 3 ; 27°C), which is partly attributable to the reduced frequency b , at which crossbridge work is maximum. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that the R403Q mutation reduces the strong binding affinity of myosin for actin. Myosin heads may accumulate in a preforce state that promotes cooperative activation of the thin filament at submaximal calcium but blunts maximal tension and oscillatory power output at maximal calcium. The calcium-dependent effect of the mutation (whether facilitating or debilitating), together with a variable degree of fibrosis and myofibrillar disorder, may contribute to the diversity of clinical symptoms observed in murine FHC.