uch as we observed in flow cytometry outcomes from initial dosing assays (Fig 3e and 3f), we found that transcript levels analyzed by RT-PCR and protein abundance by IHC showed significantly higher SMA expression in 5-L-Valine angiotensin II tobacco extract treated samples compared to either control or e-cigarette aerosol extract treated samples (Fig 6fh). Taken together, these data indicate that tobacco cigarette smoke extract treated samples have significant developmental deficiencies with more modest defects observed in e-cigarette aerosol extract treated cohorts. We also determined whether a broad-based cellular stress response was activated with cigarette smoke exposure. To address this question, we tested whether markers of stress-related signaling cascades were significantly up-regulated in hESC-derived cardiomyocytes treated with both types of cigarette extracts compared to control samples. Protein samples from day 14 fetal cardiomyocytes differentiated with continuous exposure to e-cigarette and tobacco extracts (6.8 M) were isolated and profiled for 26 different stress related proteins including redox enzymes, oxidative stress proteins, heat shock proteins, and proteins involved in NFB and p53 signaling pathways. These results show that exposure to smoke resulted in no significant differences in stress-related proteins between the tested conditions (S4 Fig).
Analysis of hESC derived fetal cardiomyocyte transcription factor, calcium handling, and junction protein expression. (a) Expression level of cardiac transcription factors GATA4 and NKX2.5 (a) and calcium handling proteins including the L-type calcium channel and SERCA2a, and the junctional protein CNX43 (b) by quantitative RT-PCR in cells treated with 6.8 M e-cigarette or tobacco cigarette extracts vs. control. (c-d) Representative immunocytochemistry (c) and quantification (e) for NKX2.5 in fetal cardiomyocytes with various cigarette treatments compared to control. (e-f) Representative immunohistochemistry (e) and quantification (f) for the junction protein cadherin in fetal hESC cardiomyocytes with various cigarette treatments compared to control. Inset shown to the right. Arrows indicate perinuclear expression of cadherin. Analysis of cardiac myofilament and structural protein expression. (a) Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of early developmental myofilament proteins including the atrial myosin light chain MLC2a, the myosin isoform -MHC and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) in cells treated with 6.8 M e-cigarette or tobacco cigarette extracts vs. control. (b-c) Immunohistochemistry (b) and quantification (c) of the myofilament proteins cardiac troponin T (cTnT) in combination with phalloidin and nuclear counterstain DAPI in control cells or those treated with 6.8 M e-cigarette or 6.8 M tobacco cigarette extracts. Scale bar = 100 m for cTnT. (d) Quantitative RT-PCR analysis of mature developmental myofilament isoforms including the ventricular myosin light chain MLC2v and the myosin isoform -MHC in cells treated 6.8 M e-cigarette or tobacco cigarette extracts vs. control. (e) Quantitation of sarcomere length as measured from samples stained for -actinin by immunohistochemistry comparing control vs. 6.8 M e-cigarette or tobacco cigarette. (f-h) Quantitative RT-PCR (f) immunohistochemistry (g) and quantification of IHC (h) for the immature cardiac marker smooth muscle actin (SMA) in control vs. cells treated with 6.8 M ecigarette or tobacco cigarette extract. n ! 6 per group.
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