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Z-disc Titin in Sarcomere Assembly and Mechanotransduction

Fachliche Zuordnung Biochemie
Förderung Förderung von 2010 bis 2020
Projektkennung Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Projektnummer 148688621
 
Erstellungsjahr 2019

Zusammenfassung der Projektergebnisse

Titin is the giant elastic backbone of the sarcomere. It is expressed in multiple isoforms, including some that are integrated only at the Z-disc and some that extend through the M-band. Titin acts as a molecular spring and has been linked to mechanosignaling in striated muscle. Mutations of titin lead to skeletal muscle or heart disease such as hypertrophic or dilated cardiomyopathy. To study the role of Z-disc titin and how titin is integrated into the Sarcomere, we used a three pronged approach: (1) We generated titin GFP and RFP knockin alleles that enable the visualization of titin molecules as they are moved between sarcomeres and integrate into the myofilament lattice. (2) We generated a titin BioID knockin that allows us to interrogate the protein environment at the Z- disc. (3) To study the role of Z-disc titin, we generated a striated muscle specific knockout, with either progressive postnatal loss of the complete titin protein or an M-band truncation that eliminates proper sarcomeric integration but retains all other functional domains. The latter allowed us to dissect the differences in a Z-disc integrated titin from a missing titin filament. While skeletal muscle atrophy with reduced strength and lethality from 2 weeks of age were shared between the models with and without Z-disc titin, they display diverse cardiac phenotypes: The loss of titin protein leads to the development of dilated cardiomyopathy - the absence of M-band titin to cardiac atrophy. This was also reflected in the echocardiography were in addition the systolic properties were changed only in the complete titin knockout. The passive properties of the myocytes were only reduced in the complete titin knockout, while there were unchanged in the M-band knockout at the age of 4 weeks. Using life imaging of double heterozygous animals that express titins with a red fluorophore at the Z-disc and a green fluorophore at the M-band, we show how titin is synthesized and moved: titin expression is not compartmentalized in the embryonic cardiomyocyte, but in adult working cardiomyocytes. In differentiating cardiomyocytes and upon remodelling, we find that sarcomere assembly does not proceed sequentially with titin integration from Z-disc to M-band, contrary to the premyofibril model. As Z-discs cannot be purified, our current understanding is built on a candidate approach with immunofluorescence staining and interaction screens with known Z-disc proteins to study the localized protein composition. In its current implementation, proximity proteomics had been restricted to cultured cells, which limits potential interventions and analysis of a systemic or disease context. Here we have adapted the BioID system to enzymatically modify and purify proteins localized proximal to Z-disc titin in vivo. Proteins identified by mass spec capture the majority of the known sarcomeric Z-disc proteome and biotinylation sites faithfully reflect the localization of BioID at nm resolution. We used superresolution imaging to demonstrate that biotinylated Z-disc proteins indeed flank the Z-disc. Applying proximity proteomics in vivo has the potential to interrogate the dynamic localization of proteins dependent on genetic, pharmaceutical, physiological and disease context. Taken together, our implementation of mouse genetics to understand the integration of titin into the Z-disc of the sarcomere, its local protein environment, and its function provides novel insights into basic sarcomere biology and how titin deficiency differentially affects cardiac and skeletal muscle function depending on the presence or absence or truncation of a continuous titin filament system.

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