Key result
Doxorubicin treatment in mice identifies genetic loci linked to survival and cardiac dysfunction.
Why the study?
Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity is a significant concern for cancer survivors, but its genetic basis remains unclear.
Does genetic background influence survival, body weight loss, and cardiac function in mice treated with doxorubicin?
Does genetic background influence survival, body weight loss, and cardiac function in mice treated with doxorubicin?
Genetic background significantly influences doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity, with specific QTLs and candidate genes identified that may modulate susceptibility to heart failure.
Genetic loci may modulate doxorubicin cardiotoxicity susceptibility in mice; leaves open human translation and risk stratification.
BACKGROUND: Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity (ACT) is a significant concern for cancer survivors, while genetic basis of ACT remains unclear. This study employs a murine genetic reference population (GRP) of BXD recombinant inbred strains, derived from DBA/2J (D2) and C57BL/6J (B6) crosses, to map quantitative trait loci (QTLs) linked to doxorubicin (DOX)-induced phenotypes through systems genetics approaches. METHODS: To model variability in ACT, 58 BXD strains and parental B6 and D2 mice (n ≥ 4 mice/sex/strain, 3-4-month-old) underwent an intraperitoneal injection of DOX (20 mg/kg). Survival and body weight (BW) were monitored for 10 days. Echocardiography was performed before treatment and on Day 5 post-treatment, followed by genetic mapping and Mendelian randomization analyses for identifying QTLs and candidate genes associated with DOX-induced traits and severity. RESULTS: Parental B6 strain had 60% survival, whereas 24% of D2 mice survived on Day 10. Among BXD strains, median survival varied, with BXD77 showing the lowest at Day 4. Echocardiography revealed cardiac dysfunction and a small-heart phenotype resembling ACT patients. Significant QTLs on Chromosome 10 (86-94 Mb), Chromosome 19 (52.5-54.2 Mb) and on Chromosome 14 (103-120 Mb) were associated with the survival, mean BW loss, and left ventricular (LV) volumes and ejection fraction (EF%), respectively. MR analysis identified significant causal associations between the genes implicated in BW loss (ADD3, HSPA12 A, SLC18 A2, PDZD8, DUSP5, CASP7) as well as EF% and LV volumes (GPC6, UGGT2, SLAIN1, POU4 F1, MBNL2) in BXD mice post-DOX and heart failure outcomes in humans. Most of the top candidates showed cardiomyocyte specific expression based on scRNA-seq data. CONCLUSIONS: Survival, BW loss, and echocardiography parameters considerably varied among DOX-treated BXDs, suggesting significant influence of genetic background on expression of those traits. Several candidate genes that may modulate ACT susceptibility and heart failure were identified, providing a foundation for genetic-based risk stratification and therapeutics in cardio-oncology.
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Orgil et al. (2025) studied Anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity. Doxorubicin vs. Parental B6 and D2 strains / Baseline was evaluated on Survival, body weight loss, and echocardiography parameters.
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